A day at the races

Returned exhausted from the Singapore GP F1 Night Circuit qualifying round. Not there for the cars, I was there for the music. Made the rookie mistake of paying for a grandstand seat when all I really needed was a walkabout pass which would allow me access to the food and concert areas but not a view of the track.

Made good on my seat watching all 12 laps of the Porsche Carrera Cup -- one of the warm up races before the evening's main event. Some guy called Pereira won. Congrats! Abandoned my seat after that to explore the grounds.

Arriving early was an advantage. Short queues for food and toilets. For dinner, I got a $25 hamburger sando from Arigato. Medium rare burger patty topped with a cheese slice between two thick slices of white bread. It was delicious and generally kept its integrity throughout even though I was eating standing up and holding it in one hand, while being distracted by the commentary on the Jumbotron.

Wandered over to the Downtown stage to wait for the performance I paid for. It's a smaller stage, an offshoot from the main Padang stage where the big acts were performing. More on that later. I arrived at the end of a set by The Lathums (pic above). Don't know who they are but their music I could groove to. DJ Questionmark from Taiwan took over for the next hour. I went for dinner at this time.

When I returned, the peanut gallery was full of American looking and sounding people excited to party with Tom Grennan, another act I'm not familiar with. Still, his basic rock vibe was cool and had me bopping the whole time.

Tom Grennan took most of the crowd with him. I immediately advanced to about just five rows back from the stage apron, determined to hold my ground for an hour until the final performance of the night commenced. Meanwhile, the grand Padang stage lit up and sent powerful beats right across to us who were at the old Esplanade. Someone thoughtfully put on the Jumbotron in front of us so we could watch DJ Alan Walker do his thing. Surprisingly, watching a DJ do his thing is as interesting as watching a conductor wave his baton at prerecorded classical music. No disrespect, but Mr Walker twiddled knobs and waved his free hand theatrically, and that's it. At least we had something to entertain us while we waited. No complaints.

And finally, the moment I and the One have all been waiting for: BABYMETAL! Making a stop in Singapore on their current world tour via the F1, performing on a small, intimate stage, and me even closer than when I was at Zepp KL three years ago! It was a short but intense session featuring their most fun, upbeat concert favourites that had us all jumping, chanting, and chorusing along (badly) the whole 50 minutes. Mandatory pix taken from between raised arms holding phones and serious-looking cameras follow:

Sorry I couldn't get a decent pix of SU. The corner where MOA and MOMO stood to engage the crowd was the least blocked.

I'm actually amazed that the pix came out this well. Must be the optical zoom and low-light AI magic of the Pixel 10.

And to make the post longer, the mandatory setlist follows:

1. BM Death
2. Pa Pa Ya
3. Metali
4. Ratatata
5. Gimme Chocolate
6. From Me To U
7. Karate
8. Road of Resistance to close out. How the crowd was able to actually make a decent circle pit on SU's command also amazes me.

A day at the races, indeed.

My Queen: a mental chess game in heavy metal

I'm overwhelmed right now. BABYMETAL's latest album "Metal Forth" released today along with another official MV, "My Queen" ft Spiritbox.

There are still a number of new tracks on the album that haven't had an official MV yet, so rather than reviewing the audio versions, I'll review each one as they get released as videos.

I will say, though, that overall, I enjoyed "Metal Forth". The previously released video tracks are all bangers. They're loads of fun to headbang and jump to, as already reviewed below. Which leaves the new tracks being more artistic in the musical presentation. At least, that's my first impression. Not speaking the language, I need more visuals to infer context, and I don't have that right now.

And that brings me to "My Queen". I'm picking up a serious, not fun vibe from this one. For me, it's a contemplative song, more rhythmic than melodic. BABYMETAL face off against Courtney LaPlante, Spiritbox's vocalist, on a chessboard. BM is the black queen piece, LaPlante is the opposing white queen. There is also the presence of The Evil One, so named by the credits in the YouTube description.

Through the song, the queens posture and move against each other. SU, of course, gets most of the vocals. Not to be upstaged, LaPlante gets a substantial verse that lets her vocals shine. LaPlante alternates clean, almost spoken vocals with her screams, then crescendos over screamed lines. While the song doesn't really invite the audience to sing and move along, it's still very intense, heavy and maybe even... uneasy. That dark bassline undertone creates a sense of menace that pervades all around.

The visuals suggest that this could be an anti-war song. Combatants face each other on a battlefield, but who put them there? Who's really planning the engagement? In the end, the players (The Evil One) win or lose. They can always start a new game. But it's those who've got their boots on the ground who've paid the ultimate price.

On the battlefield, even the queen is just a pawn in the player's hands.

From Babymetal to you

Have I ever mentioned the solid work ethic the BABYMETAL team has? 'From Me to U' has finally dropped since it's been teased for weeks now. This new track -- which will feature in the next BM album, 'Metal Forth' -- is another collab, this time with new-ish metal vocalist, Poppy, with whom BM has a lot in common... being ladies in metal, at the very least. I know little of Poppy, so this song is my first official intro to this new artist vying for a place on my playlist.

FMtU hits hard and fast, delivering waves of energy that will keep the crowd jumping from beginning to end. Thematically, energy transfer is BM's hallmark in crowd interaction. They provide boatloads of energy from the stage to the audience, and the crowd gives it right back, closing the energy loop which blows the roof off every BM concert venue. Everyone is drenched in sweat, ears ringing, grinning from ear to ear in the aftermath of the explosion. This track -- need I say more -- too, is pure energy. Wow!

Musically, FMtU leans more towards metal, supported with EDM and pop elements. SU and Poppy share verses, while interspersing lines within the chorus. Between SU's melodic tones and Poppy's screams, the compromise makes it difficult for me to immediately pick out parts I can sing along to. Perhaps I don't need to. Keeping my mouth shut and headbanging appreciatively is all this song really asks for.

One issue I have is that SU's voice sounds over-processed with too much electronic overlay. Given the futuristic setting of the video -- it looks like they are street level in the city outside the windows of the Ratatata set -- perhaps her voice was supposed to sound synthesized. Still, it's a pity to mask out her natural talent. SU sings mostly in English and her enunciation has evolved so much that she sounds like a native speaker now. That's impressive!

As for Poppy, she isn't at all poppy like her name or appearance suggests. She screams all the way through, providing a hard edge to the energy pouring forth. She represents the 'rage' SU sings about in the chorus, while simultaneously singing sweetly about 'killing the enemy'. Yikes!

The visuals suggest a video game environment. Halfway through, the neon city is destroyed and collapses in flames. A huge monster rises up to confront the BM trio dancing on the last remaining circular platform. This scene reminds me of some boss battle scenarios from Path of Exile and Diablo 4. Is this the enemy SU intends to kill? Apparently not. It screams in Poppy's voice, so it's her avatar, or something. All four artists (boss monster representing Poppy) are finally together in the closing shots, beautifully synced up... and no enemy in sight.

Ok, I won't think too much about it. Overall, this track is another banger of a collab. It's a crowd energiser and great for a frenetic cardio workout. With more as yet unreleased tracks in the run up to new album, we wait with bated breath for the next drop.

SU-METAL wins Metal Awards' Female Metal Singer of 2024

 

This news is days late, but I was waiting for a video I could make a link to. Suzuka Nakamoto a.k.a. SU-METAL is Metal Awards' Female Metal Singer of 2024 after winning a year-long ballot by a landslide. The video cites the openness of the Metal community, becoming more inclusive of new, innovative variations within the genre, and how BABYMETAL's blend of heavy metal and idol-pop has opened up to the world a new way to appreciate Metal music. Agree and agree.

SU-METAL has forged an over a decade's long bond with a growing fanbase who really love her and BABYMETAL so much that they care enough to actually vote. Consider that the total number of votes cast for Female Singer at nearly 100,000 is double that for Male Singer at 50,000. Voting matters. When I cast my vote last year, SU already had a commanding lead over her rivals, so I knew that this fanbase was unparalleled among other female-fronted metal bands. Give her more chocolate to keep her (and MOA and MOMO) working hard and happy at making great musical productions for us all!

Bekhauf: High energy inspiration by Bloodywood ft BABYMETAL (Pt 2)

Bekhauf official MV has dropped. It's not an anime series but an animation featuring the vocalists of Bloodywood and BABYMETAL in an action-packed battle against deities from both Hindu and Japanese pantheons. The narrative runs parallel to BABYMETAL's Karate: forced to fight, the protagonists hold their own against fearful opponents, they suffer a setback, they focus on rescuing one another before combining forces to finally win. Interestingly, the stakes are not exactly life and death but for the respect of the antagonists. In this sense, adversity is a test of resilience and being able to count on each other in a fight to the end. 'Bekhauf', according to the subtitles means 'fearless', but it's more like being undaunted, not reckless.

Musically, the track is a (head)banger. It's full of high energy and a driving beat, great for a cardio workout or an on-the-road playlist. It doesn't have a catchy hook -- that is, I've watched the video a couple of times now but if there's an earworm in there, I haven't got it yet. On the whole, it's great to listen to, but offers little to crowd participation, though this is only my first impression. While the end credits list KOBAMETAL as the Producer, this track sounds more like a Bloodywood piece than a BABYMETAL one. That's not a bad thing. I like the diversity in the metal, pop, rap, electronica combination, the encouraging storyline of the video, and I got to listen to Bloodywood for the first time.

Bekhauf: High energy inspiration by Bloodywood ft BABYMETAL

The ladies of BABYMETAL have turned in yet another collab, this time with Indian metal band, Bloodywood. As of now, the full audio track is available on Bloodywood's channel. Anxiously awaiting the full MV drop which, going by past experience, should be by about midnight tonight.

Meantime, I'm posting the YouTube trailer link which is very anime inspired. The catch phrase is "fear is a choice (but the choice is mine)". This concept and the music sound more serious than dance poppy. The track is mostly metal featuring a lot of male harsh vocals amidst a driving, relentless heavy rhythm with what sounds like SU's clean vocals seemlessly blending in to smoothen the tone, backed with MOA and MOMO's harmonies. The ladies' voices are rather electronically processed, perhaps for an ethereal effect, contrasting the grounded and growly male voices. The bridge features a clear traditional stringed instrument, though with the electronic effect it's hard to tell which one. Drums out, SU gets a beautifully rendered verse to herself. This is one high energy song meant to inspire and encourage, like "Leave It All Behind" but with less didactic lyrics. Well, less didactic English lyrics, anyway.

Have to tune in again later to match the visuals to the audio for a better picture of what this collab is all about. I don't know what "Bekhauf" means, and for now I don't want to find out. Could this song be the intro to a new anime series? The trailer suggests a story that could be epic.

Headbanging (the night of gojuukyuu)

Earlier this year, I was faithfully checking the Babymetal tour schedule to see if the ladies were coming my way. The moment I took a break, I found out their concert at Capitol Theatre had already been sold out 2 weeks ago! The date was so perfect for me: 20 August, the night of gojuukyuu! I had no doubt I would be there regardless. It was written.

And here I am. I've been on my feet for a few hours, waiting in the queue with everybody else, waiting for the show to start, enjoying the rockout session with local metalcore band, Reserate, who had the honour of opening for Babymetal. For my ticket, I put my faith in Viagogo, a second-hand ticket online vendor that constantly indicated 'sold out' until just last weekend when a single ticket appeared -- at double the list price. It was clearly selling for a profit on top of the $50 vendor service charge. I grabbed it with no hesitation. They offer a refund if somehow the ticket doesn't work, so I was pretty sure my purchase would be legit.

This non-priority ticket put me in the midst of the standing only stalls -- the best place to enjoy Babymetal's high-energy performance, though the view, as you see, was blocked by arms raised to waggle kitsune handsigns, or cellphones for a video or still grab. Other than occasional glimpses of the performers emerging between heads and raised arms, and the distance from the stage, it was difficult to see any coherent form of performance. It didn't matter. I had a ticket, I was there, I know how the choreography works from repeatedly watching music videos and official 'live' footage. It was such chaos and noise and wonderment just jumping along with the ladies, yelling myself hoarse, badly singing along to the parts of crowd participation baked into every single song.

Here's an example of glimpses of the performance from where I was standing. This is a familiar pose from the iconic Megitsune.

And here's SU telling us to turn on our lights at the break in Monochrome.

The setlist was a compilation of Babymetal's most energetic songs, with loads of crowd participation throughout. I've reviewed them all before, including their latest offerings, both Metali and Ratatata. It was precisely these two songs that I was so looking forward to. They're such a vibe, and to wasshoi with them, and blow the roof off yelling 'Ratatata' (and 'fu fu') at the top of our lungs was so much fun, it had to be done 'live'.

The cherry on top was the first encore song, 'Headbangeeeeerrrrr!!!!!' which is kind of like Babymetal's version of 'Happy Birthday'. I couldn't believe it when I heard the opening bars of a disturbing 'Ave Maria' as it was the perfect capstone to the night of my 59th. Ok, settle down, boomer.

As usual, what follows is the complete setlist. This one raised my BPM to 118. I know cos I checked my smartwatch. The whole thing was only about an hour long, but that hour was one of the best I'll be spending this week. Worth it!

Babymetal World Tour 2024, Singapore, Capitol Theatre, 20 August Setlist:

(Opening band: Reserate)

Death

Distortion

Pa Pa Ya

Megitsune

BxMxC

Metali

Monochrome

Ratatata

Gimme Chocolate

Encore:

Headbangeeeeerrrrr!!!!!

Road of Resistance

Finally seeing the light of a 'Brand New Day'

It's been a long time coming but since the studio collaboration between BABYMETAL and Polyphia in 2019, the two bands have finally got to play 'live' at Fox_Fest this year -- and we get to audit the official footage.

'Brand New Day' is not one of their heavier songs, possibly putting focus on the strings played by guest guitarists, Tim Henson and Scott LePage from Polyphia, but also sets the tone for the content of the song that features a moment in time within a relationship that is very seldom addressed -- and more often overlooked -- in contemporary media. Of course, I'm only interpreting from the feels I get from the music and staging, and based on translated lyrics, so I could be way off base.

Anyway, here goes: Stage lighting alternates between a dark theme and an unusual pale gold one, and the sun motif keeps popping in and out on the cyclorama, or backdrop. We're in a pre-dawn state. It's difficult to fall asleep. A special someone is in our thoughts and we're thinking and perhaps half-dreaming of the good times we've had and hoping for more good times to come.

But we're in the earliest stages of our transitioning from friendship to maybe something more. Our emotions are a blend of anticipation for a blossoming new relationship, and anxiety that perhaps we may be reading more than what is actually there. So like the way the pale gold light never intensifies, our expectations are more logically rather than emotionally driven. The muted colours and the lighter beat echo this state of rationalizing this new life development in which we are not yet fully invested.

The stakes aren't very high. I'll go out with you if it's sunny, but I won't put myself out if it's rainy when I'd maybe prefer to curl up with a book. At this stage, if nothing develops, it's no big loss -- but I'm open to possibilities. There's not a lot of drama, conflict, or emotion here, so this stage tends to get glossed over in most other media portrayals of budding romances. But for me, I've been there, which is what makes this particular song feel extra special. It's the feeling of picking up a promising-looking present from under the Christmas tree, but not yet having read the tag to see who it's meant for. If your name's on it, great! But if not, you're happy to pass it on to whomever it's addressed to. There's nothing to be possessive about, and no regret letting go. I love that BABYMETAL has immortalized this often fleeting moment in this song.

'Brand New Day' is about uncertainty. We don't know what the new day will bring, but while we may anticipate and hope for good things, we won't create such high expectations that will disappoint us if things don't go our way. And there's still tomorrow to come. Just take things 'step-by-step' and see what happens. Even if I'm wrong about this song being about relationships, it's still a very healthy attitude towards life in general.

Ratatata: perfection in collaboration

After some processing time, I'm ready to dive deeper into the BM-EC collab, Ratatata music video.

As I mentioned before, there's no undertone of a message other than how it presents a different take on metal music that is goofy, fun and 'excellent for dancing'. Nothing new there, as both bands are well known for their unique twists on metal. The music and video are an example of a perfect collab precisely because of this versatility and nothing-is-sacred attitude towards the genre they've made themselves at home in.

Perhaps it's something I've been thinking about lately, but Ratatata perfectly blends both EC's chaotic masculine energy with BM's feminine vibrancy into a pairing that literally makes beautiful music together. EC's Nico and Kevin break through walls that enclose first the masculine world of corporate power (yes, there're women in there too, but they're dressed in male power suits) and shake it up. Meantime, BM are having a girly tea-party comprising colourful cocktails, and posing for their Instagram feeds. In the translated lyrics, SU sings about being a temptress, luring men into her trap -- which is essentially kitsune lore. The boys abruptly break in uninvited, springing her trap unexpectedly. Still, with Vault 33 Lucy's 'okie dokie' spirit, the girls welcome the intrusion with a cheeky 'check out these dumb boys' look. But then the boys suddenly exit through the wall Stage Left mid-chorus, leaving the girls dumbfounded. Staring at the hole in the wall, their mouths agape, the girls can't believe the boys have escaped just like that. Closest to the camera, MOA is a total cartoon, all slack-jawed and blinking uncomprehendingly at the carnage. One by one, they peek through the hole... cue transition.

Like in Metali, there's a little interlude. Here the opposing sides are literally reflected in the mirror ball, with a bit of a role reversal. SU and Nico are on opposite sides of the giant ball, representing geographic east and west; Venus and Mars energies. Except SU is on the left, where west is supposed to be, and Nico on the right, technically east. The heavy instruments cut out and Nico's tone drops to a wistful longing for the friends he needs. He reaches up to the ball (the world?) with one hand, but hesitates before withdrawing his closed fist. When the instruments come in again, it's SU turning up the warmth in her voice and with open arms, she embraces his gesture like the big sister she is. SU exactly echoes Nico's lyrics but exudes confidence, committing to her offer of friendship. It's suggesting that despite all their bravado, men have a vulnerable and shy side too, and women can and do take the lead when they want to. BM unexpectedly takes the final 'Ratatata' putting their own feminine spin on their delivery, dropping a 'tata' (excuse me?) while they're at it.

Following Metali's narrative structure, the EC boys crashing through walls suggests that the music cannot be confined in any box. It's neither male nor female, one genre or another. Together, BM and EC appear on a stage large enough to accommodate EC's entire band, sparks shooting off an overhead flybar. Music has to be brought out to the world for everyone to enjoy -- clearly with the insistent repetition of the word "everybody" It's an invitation for everybody to go nuts, if they haven't already lost their minds since the song started.

When masculine and feminine energies flow with each other fluidly instead of clashing in conflict, we achieve the perfect yin yang state. 'Ratatata' is the sound of war, but in this track it's the sound of joy and harmony, with a touch of crazy. Perfection.

Ratatata hits the target Pt 2: the music video

Considering that both BABYMETAL and Electric Callboy (EC) are known for genre-blending, the MV for Ratatata portrays exactly that quite literally. Protective disco-ball / crash helmets on, EC's vocalists burst through walls like silvery Kool-Aid men, first shaking up industry suits having a meeting, then surprising SU, MOA, and MOMO who are off duty and out of character, just chillin' with drinks and being silly. While I was expecting full on choreography, this MV incorporates some theatrical acting which doesn't feature in BABYMETAL videos much. It's nice to see that little throwback to Sakura Gakuin days when there was a stronger narrative to their MVs.

I don't detect a lot beneath the surface of either the song or the video. They're both just outrageously fun, infusing a massive wave of energy that makes the listener throw up their arms like they don't care as they move, shake, jump, and stomp to the beat. I can imagine how deafening a 'live' concert featuring this song will be when the crowd chants along to 'ratatata!!!' at the top of their lungs. It's so infectious that you can't help yourself.

It's weird how every new song that BABYMETAL releases is an instant new favourite. I'll be listening to this one a lot, especially on my morning commute. When you can't get caffeine that early, the adrenaline jumpstart will be most welcome.

Ratatata hits right on target

BABYMETAL is not stopping anytime soon. A fresh drop today -- just the audio track for now -- but it's another terrific party anthem. Ratatata in collab with Electric Callboy (heard of them, never heard them... yet) turns the energy up to 10 from the get go, and never lets up. It has a very '80s disco mashed in with a '90s EDM vibe that picks a body up and makes it dance like nobody's watching -- and I hope to heck that no one was watching.

The English lyrics are simple enough -- end of the day, we're hyped to go to the club, meet our friends and dance our brains out until tomorrow. I'll check out the inevitable lyric video later to see what the Japanese lyrics say, but it'll probably be not much different. I think I heard a lyric that goes something like 'my body is a weapon', hence the onomatopoeic 'Ratatata' of a machine gun, like the sound effect YUI and MOA make in Gimme Choco, but the pace is slightly more spaced out than a chaingun would sound like, so I'm guessing it's more the sound of aggressive metal drums instead. Makes sense if we're imitating a wild dance rhythm.

Not sure what the metalheads will say, but despite the heaviness of the beat, it's more a dance rave than strictly metal. Radio-friendly. Regardless, it's so much fun to bop to, and as always, so positive in the anticipation of good times to come, no matter what we might have experienced earlier in the day.

As much as I like how BABYMETAL has matured in their vocal quality and choreopgraphy since The Other One, with the inclusion of MOMOMETAL, I'm equally glad that they have kept their fun, playful side and are continuing to crank out tunes that get the crowd crazy pumped with absolute bangers like Metali from last year (has it been that long already?), and this one.

If the official MV drops as soon as it did with Metali, that would be fantastic. I'm looking forward to check out the choreo as both bands are reputedly well matched in their emphasis on singing and dancing. Hopefully it'll be worthy of a more detailed second review.

Miko, Metalverse princess in the spotlight

Metalverse, BABYMETAL's baby sister, dropped this new, official MV a couple of days ago. This song wasn't featured in their debut concert, but the footage is from a 'live' show I don't know when. It's nice to hear some new stuff regardless.

Metalverse songs that aren't covers of BABYMETAL's have so far played a baby sister role. They're lighter, poppier, and maybe more playfully feminine, despite the heavy backing instruments that keep 'metal' justified in the name.

This song, 'Naked Princess', puts the focus on lead singer, Miko. The other four making up her team (it'll take me more time to remember their names and tell them apart) don't look like they're wearing headsets, so maybe they have a backing vocal track instead? Miko displays her range in this one. She does vocal fry -- which SU-METAL does not -- breaks the melodic line with a rhythmic verse, and crescendos effortlessly on a high note. She is literally in the spotlight as a great talent around which the band is built.

While they aren't apparently singing, her teammates are still a lot of fun. Coordinated and energetic, they frame their lead well. In contrast to their older sister band whose dance moves are grounded, powerful and heroic, Metalverse dance tends to be airier, and more ladylike. A hand to the cheek with a cute face tilt, skipping while wearing a crown made with raised fingers, and that mid-song pause as courtiers presenting their princess, these are fun little girl games that set them apart from OG BABYMETAL.

There are no subtitles, so I can't comment on the lyrics, but from the title alone, I guess it's the story of the 'Emperor's New Clothes', perhaps a social commentary on the emptiness of modern materialism. I checked the translation and, yes, it's that plus the advice to be your unadorned, authentic naked self. Makes sense.

I remember speculating what Metalverse was before their debut, and I think my initial guess was correct. Metalverse is Sakura Gakuin gone metal. *pats self on back.

Kingslayer: down with the King!

[Trigger warning: video includes harsh language]

We finally have an official video release of BMTH's 'Kingslayer' feat. BABYMETAL! Since the track released about three years ago, the two groups have never performed it together until a couple of months back 'live' in Tokyo. After all the fancam compilations (some of which have been quite good, given the source material), it's great to have a closeup view of what's happening onstage.

The buildup video sets the scene with the undermining of an 'EVE-L' authority, made to look ridiculous with the infiltration of a virus corrupting the system and reducing it to 'N64 level graphics' and getting worse. Meanwhile, interspersed are shots of particular audience members, including closeups of young women in the crowd, suggesting that metal is no longer the exclusive domain of the typical 'metalhead' stereotype. When the video announces 'Kingslayer', the crowd erupts and explodes as BABYMETAL make their entrance. MOMO and SU are focused, MOA, as usual, acknowledges the camera. As they take their places, they naturally hype up the crowd. Fully energised, Oli (lead vocalist of BMTH) leads the crowd to chant with the opening riff that has by now become iconic.

Oli plays two characters in this story. He starts as an oppressor taunting essentially himself, as the oppressed. The oppressor sings the melody, the oppressed is the screamer who interrupts with a growing recognition of who his oppressor really is: 'corrupted' and 'the monster'.

SU chimes in with her catchy, pop vocals to introduce the Kingslayer. This metal hero is a familiar figure, appearing as 'Meta Taro' and in 'Metallism', representing the internal fortitude to fight back against adversity. Here, Kingslayer 'destroys castles in the sky' which is an inversion of the idiom, 'building castles in the air', referring to dreams that have no hope of being fulfilled. So the Kingslayer is the hero within ourselves who rises up against any authority that rules over us with false promises, or hopes that they have no intention of fulfilling. Such authorities could be addictions, abusive parents, relationships, or even ourselves (as in the characters Oli is playing) -- anyone holding us back, keeping us down, or otherwise preventing us from living in 'another world', a better one.

The oppressor uses two main tactics to remain in control. The first is the idea that nothing can change: you depend on them, and you are nothing without them. They threaten that breaking free is cutting the strings of a puppet -- you couldn't even crawl back if you wanted. The second is the accusation of ingratitude: 'do you really want to twist the knife in the belly...' to which the oppressed screams 'of the monster!!!' This realisation is echoed in the screamed chorus in colourful language. Its a 'wake... up' call to reboot the system and start again, this time without the monkey on your back.

BABYMETAL are our metal cheerleaders, encouraging us to fight on to overthrow our usurper King, reminding us that we will 'never fight alone' in this battle. We get to see more of their choreo in this video. Yup, very aggressive cheerleading movements, along with wide-legged sumo stomps and monster claws, and always so coordinated. 

By the end of the instrumental bridge, the battle is over and the oppressed screams his victory, 'I can't feel yooooou!!!', to which the ladies reply with a celebratory SG-inspired 'Ooooooh Yeeeeeah!!!' The last lyrics seem to be the frustrated last words of the deposed ruler, a middle finger to the victor, which is an oddly satisfying climax while Oli and the ladies head... no, bodybang a tribal victory dance to close out this breathtaking journey.

'de ded ded ded ded de de de dedded ded ded de ded!' A riff to keep in our hearts when we need the energy to overcome.

A brief peek into METALVERSE

A surprise fancam drop of METALVERSE (don't call them CHIBIMETAL any more) performing at SummerSonic 2023 in Tokyo, presumably last night. Not three, but five members performing a three song set. The good news is that they present original music, and while the lore goes that they are an alternate universe version of BABYMETAL, thankfully they look and sound somewhat different from their renowned predecessors instead of being a carbon copy.

This performance shows METALVERSE has quite a task ahead of them to emerge from the immense shadow that their older sisters have cast. The major advantage BABYMETAL had starting out was the WTF factor in the fusion of metal, pop, choreography, the age of the performers, the other genres of music that got blended in the production studio like no one knew what they were doing. Yet the end product turned out to be a beautiful miracle rather than the disaster it could have been. BABYMETAL was a fusion of Frankenstein monster parts, but it was cared for, nurtured lovingly, allowed to grow with a life of its own, and eventually become its own thing that captured the imagination of the world.

METALVERSE's version of fusion metal looks like its been put together by people who have learned from their past experiments, and now know what they are doing. The production is slick and professional (other than being viewed on fancam footage), it's well rehearsed and delivers strongly in musicality and choreography. And that's the problem: second child syndrome. It lacks an edge from the risk that the whole thing could fall flat on its face, which would have made us appreciate the effort, commitment, work ethic, and belief that the entire production crew put into making a show that shouldn't work work. 

METALVERSE works right out of the box. The production looks effortless and by-the-numbers. It feels designed not to fail, so it's missing out on the underdog status that gets a crowd behind tiny but dedicated heroes giving their all to accomplish a nigh impossible task. Without having much to root for, the crowd sounded a bit passive when lead singer, Miko, tried to engage them in the third song. Also, her call was asking for a bit more sophistry than the audience was prepared to give. Had the response been more intuitively and organically baked into the music, the audience might have been more inclined to jump in.

There is nothing bad in this performance -- it was actually quite enjoyable. But at the same time, it looked and felt like everything was done for me, and so, having little else to contribute to the show beyond my applause, I was happy to just sit back and soak it in.

Still, this is only a little taste of what METALVERSE can do. We'll get a much better picture once they make their official debut in Tokyo on 24 August. Still hoping there's room for crazy.

'Metali' MV is an energy vortex of joy and fun

I reacted to the audio-only track of 'Metali' in my previous post. The official video adds so much more to the enjoyment of this new BABYMETAL single.

Like its predecessors, 'Megitsune' and 'Karate', this video is very proudly Japanese: in set featuring traditional architecture, traditional costume in both festival and theatre attire, and even the lighting in the early part of the video displays rays radiating from the circular portal behind SU, suggesting the Rising Sun flag from Japan's earlier, more nationalistic days.

Although there is much tradition to be proud of, the ladies throw shade at the more oppressive parts of their culture. Their choreography comprises high stepping and stomping, with aggressive arm and hand movements, very unladylike. While dancing, MOA and MOMO 'accidentally' kick over traditional tea sets which can be seen as symbols of female subservience, and the ladies are having none of it. There is also the shocking visual of many 'fox signs' suddenly breaking through the traditional paper wall mid-ground, immediately followed by another jump-scare of two characters physically bursting through walls both stage left and right. These elements continue the band's penchant for fun horror movie imagery, but also reinforce their central message of breaking past barriers, like they constantly have had to do, while encouraging their audience to do the same.

Masks from Japanese theatre return, but other than the expected kitsune masks which feature in some backgrounds, in the foreground the supporting mass dancers wear human faces, representing us in the audience dancing, singing and chanting, being part of the festival, and really the show. The mid-piece breakdown unexpectedly throws back to a Japanese theatrical narration. Since MOMO takes the spotlight here, the voice is probably her's even if we only see her dancing, not vocalizing. This directorial choice keeps the energy going instead of slowing the pace to a standstill, which would break the momentum, and nobody wants that.

Energy is such a huge part of this song. The melody is super-catchy, the moves are big and deceptively easy to follow, and the audience participation is built in so obviously that when SU calls, without hesitation we want to yell back at the top of our lungs, punching the air while we do so. Somehow, self-consciousness gets shoved aside in this energy vortex, and everyone just gets sucked into being one with the performance. 'Live' in concert, this song would be an experience like no other.

We also get to see Tom Morello's contribution. Not familiar with him or his work, watching him play the guitar in the latter part of the video and hearing his beautifully weird East-West fusion on strings is a privilege. That last visual of the three ladies sitting on his guitar, waving at the crowd, is their tribute and thanks to Morello. The placement of the guitar makes them look like they are literally standing (in this case sitting) on the shoulder of a giant. Such humility in respecting their inspirations guiding them forward.

BABYMETAL is best experienced 'live', but they do occasionally put out official MVs that slap hard -- I'm thinking 'Megitsune' and 'Karate' as among my favourites. This one, 'Metali', shoots straight up to the top of my list. It has me dancing in my chair with every re-watch. That's my main criterion for a great music video.

BABYMETAL return to their Japanese roots in 'Metali'

BABYMETAL has gone home to Japan with their latest single after touring the world for creative inspiration. 'Metali' features the most traditional Japanese instrumentation since 'Megitsune' from a decade ago. It opens with the strings of (presumably) a shamisen which continues to be prominent in the music throughout. Likewise, the musical composition sounds East Asian, reminiscent of some traditional Japanese festivals involving music and interactive chanting. Yet, the main instrumental accompaniment is straight up metal, rhythmic and heavy, unrelenting and powerful. That, I'm guessing is where guest musician, Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine), comes in to seamlessly blend West with East.

SU's vocals are almost aggressive: still melodic, but tends to be inspired by their fellow contemporary Japanese female-led metal bands, a genre arguably pioneered by BABYMETAL, so it's come full circle with the original taking inspiration from those they inspired. It's also notable that this is the first original BABYMETAL song released with MOMOMETAL as the official third member of the new trio. The chorus sounds nice and full again with the voices of MOA and MOMO combining as one to aid with the heavy lifting.

The theatrical narration midway through the track adds to the sense of homecoming. The voice is as yet uncredited, but I'm speculating it could be MOMO's given her experience with musical theatre during her early career. It could just as well be SU's or MOA's, though, as they, too, are vocally versatile.

I just looked up the translation for "wasshoi", which is repeatedly chanted, and indeed it is a word that is used in traditional festivals to get everyone in sync and work together to lift a shrine for a grand parade. It's a homecoming for BABYMETAL, and they've brought the whole world back with them for the party!

'Metali' dropped on 18 August 2023, and is available on YouTube (above), and on Spotify. Probably elsewhere too.

Edit: Big surprise! It's not just new music on YouTube, but a whole new official music video! This band gives so much, and keeps on giving. And I was there for the premiere!

Unexpected act of mercy

Early BABYMETAL songs tell stories that are easy to follow, even if you didn't know the language. In 'Karate', three imposing death's head figures square off against our three METAL protagonists, although there is only one male aggressor who engages them in battle. In a back-and-forth contest, he lands a powerful blow, knocking the three girls down. Big sister, SU, struggles back to her feet and helps MOA and YUI up. Together, they gather their strength for one last strike. However, the antagonist who downed them has disappeared. SU's sonic blast hits the three masked figures, breaking their masks to reveal... themselves. It's quite true that we are often our own worst enemies. Having defeated their fearful, rageful, aggressive parts of their personalities, the girls are finally at peace. Easy story.

My first thoughts on watching this video was that all this Karate fighting seems to be at odds with one of the band's definitive messages of 'ijime, dame, zettai' (commonly abbreviated as IDZ) or 'no more bullying forever' and is one of the tracks in their self-titled debut album. I guess I was thinking 'Karate Kid' initially. But this fight is more of an inner struggle to defeat the worst parts of ourselves that keep us down and out, rather than directing violence against another person.

SU and YUI demonstrate strength in breaking things, but my favourite sequence is when MOA uses her heightened senses to pluck an insect in mid-flight out of the air. It had disturbed her meditation, and having caught it, she could have crushed it out of existence so that it would never bother her again. Instead, she gently releases it in an unexpected act of mercy, letting it rejoin its companions and go on its way. Her celebration of and respect for life no matter how seemingly insignificant packs the strongest gut punch. It truly embodies the spirit of IDZ, and watching it greatly uplifted my spirits.

With BABYMETAL, the positive emotional payoff is refreshingly different, in comparison to the cathartic release of angst and rage when listening to, say, Linkin Park, which I did listen to quite a bit back in the day. I'm all for it.

SU-METAL solo: 'No Rain, No Rainbow'

SU-METAL solos offer a change of pace within BABYMETAL's 'live' performances. Slower, slightly softer, the focus is often on the emotional delivery of someone longing for human connection. Perhaps it's also that SU is bereft of her supporting vocalists, MOA and YUI, that her voice sounds so completely alone, and lonely. It's a vocal quality that offers more variety than just headbanging for the audience to experience and appreciate.

For 'No Rain, No Rainbow' I chose to feature above a more recent version of the song as SU's voice has since matured, and as such carries a sense of loss with more gravitas. Her younger voice still makes for a beautiful rendition, but an older voice suggests having had more to lose, and more to regret.

I don't have the musical vocabulary to describe what I hear, but I feel this song is particularly effective in hitting the emotive elements through the way the chorus is structured. I don't know if it is accurate to say, but the chord progression sounds like the way water falls in tiers (yes, clearly an English pun, and probably unintentional), but that's what it sounds like to my ears. It then picks up, only to fall again, so I am constantly experiencing a sinking feeling every time the chorus comes around.

Then there's this breathtaking staging effect as a beam of white light appears to emanate from the grand piano, lighting a path to SU's feet. With poise and dignity, she walks to the piano while the band plays an instrumental bridge. The band cuts out so we can just hear her play the piano accompanying herself as she sings a couple of lines of verse...

But then there's a sudden, inexplicable length of silence that cuts in mid-verse. It appears to be a mistake or a glitch, perhaps in the audio recording, but in other performances, the band does pick back up and continues until SU comes in once more with the chorus. But in this performance, we next see SU at a different part of the stage, illuminated in a circle of light, dead centre within ripples of tears falling into perhaps a pool of tears, and she continues the verse where she left off. Guess you had to be there to know what really happened. Regardless, 'No Rain, No Rainbow' is still a beautiful song, beautifully rendered.

Great job!

Today being Labour Day is as good as any to introduce Black BABYMETAL with the song 'GJ!"

As we've seen, a BABYMETAL 'live' show is a full-on high energy effort that often goes on a few days running. The concept of Black BABYMETAL has a lore to it which I won't get into as it is confusingly inconsistent, and much is probably lost in translation. Regardless, to give each other a break without disrupting the momentum, parts of the performance are taken by SU solos, and some are MOA and YUI duets under the Black BABYMETAL label.

GJ likely stands for Good Job, as the phrase appears in the chorus. The opening beat is a cheerleader rhythm of encouragement for the team to put in extra effort, but done in metal with a bass guitar assist, the sound is heavy -- more like the beat of galley drums, getting the slaves working together to pull the oars.

Picking up from the instruments, YUI and MOA launch into rhythmic verse about the daily grind of sheeple going to work, comparing the daily commute to a 'wall of death', a term describing the commencement of a mosh when people from opposite sides of the pit run headlong towards each other and collide in the middle. Pretty accurate description for rush hour at the MRT station. During the verse, their movements are punchy sharp, imitating the pushing and shoving on jam-packed trains. For the pre-chorus, they revert to cheerleaders egging on the crowd. But their gestures are from their fingers and below their shoulders while leaning slightly back, which suggest less encouragement and more taunt, as if to say, 'is that all you got?'

The second verse is about the opposite of going to work, and that is going shopping. Likewise, shopping is yet another mosh pit as everyone tears through malls looking for the best discounts and offers of free extras. The movements here have become more combative, showing finger guns in the short instrumental break, and some defensive shielding amidst more pushing and shoving in the verse.

In between, the chorus hits with contrasting melodic lightness, incredibly catchy as their choruses usually are. Their movement also lightens up a little. They keep their sharpness, but throw in more fluid, rapidly flickering movements as they sing of escaping the crush and grind of the work-consume cycle. Being "happy-go-lucky" is the way to go: 'aiming too high brings us no good' so 'take it easy' instead.

Easy for these girls to say. It's clear they work very hard at what they do, and aim for the stratosphere with their ambitions of changing the world for the better with BABYMETAL music. The big difference is that they found their ikegai (the intersection of passion and competence in supplying what people need and are willing to pay money for) while they were still relatively babies, and went ahead to pursue it. The rest of us will just be grateful for Labour Day when we can put up our aching feet for a while, and hopefully not squander it on meaningless shopping. Take it easy, folks!

Awadama Fever: Literal bubblegum pop

To be honest, this song wan't on my list for review, but it triggered an unexpected memory for me from a long time ago that I decided to make a record of it.

This performance of 'Awadama Fever' opens with Kami band's super impressive solos getting the audience hyped and rockin'. Enter the girls, their vocals effortlessly slicing through the thumping beat. The song title translates to 'bubble' (awa) 'ball' (dama), so it's a song about being carried away in a bubble gum bubble. To get around the physics of bubble gum being heavier than air, flight is achieved by unlocking the power of dreams. Quite a Studio Ghibli conceit, and clearly a fun one for performers, musicians and the crowd to create the fantasy together. Ah, yay!

There's a lot more mime I observe in this dance. The girls' arms form the shape of the bubble, their hands shape the secret box, turn the locks, open the door, and I'm sure there a fox and sox in there somewhere too (says the voice of Zeuss). The recurring image is the giant bubble the girls maneuver around the stage, taking it anywhere, or maybe it's taking them as they 'ride on the wind'. They even mime the sensation of being lighter than air during the instrumental bridge.

I'm speculating that 'Awadama Fever' is an updated, upbeat, metallized version of the traditional children's song, 'Shabondama', or soap bubble in English. The two songs have the same idea, of ephemeral bubbles floating upwards on the wind, except that the latter focuses more pessimistically on the fragility of the vehicle and briefness of the flight, while BABYMETAL is more excited about the prospect of flying on dream-powered bubbles, even if it lasts only as long as an hour-long nap. Po! Po!

I'm not sure how far back the 'traditional' song goes, as I believe soap to be a fairly recent invention, but at least old enough for my dad to have learned it as a child, and in turn, he taught it to me when I, too, was little. Learning this song in Japanese school was probably one of my dad's more pleasant memories of the Occupation. It stayed with him at least long enough to pass it on to me, though I had since forgotten it over time. And now I have a reawakened memory, recently unlocked from my secret box of forgotten things. A 'mint-flavoured time machine' indeed.