'matchless GUM' and 'Unfair game' by
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- Опубліковано 13 лип 2024
- In this video, I finish the 'YOLO' single (2016) by listening to "matchless GUM" and "Unfair game", both of which I liked more than "YOLO". Continuing my chronological journey through Band-Maid's catalog, I'm now ready to move on to the 2017 album 'Just Bring It'.
Please consider supporting Band-Maid via the following links:
Band-Maid official website: bandmaid.tokyo/
Band-Maid on Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/5Wh3G...
Chan's Band-Maid playlist: open.spotify.com/playlist/2l9...
Band-Maid on UA-cam: / @bandmaid @BANDMAID
Band-Maid's 'YOLO' (single) playlist (official): • YOLO
matchless GUM (audio only) : • matchless GUM
Unfair game (audio only) : • Unfair game
Since this is a review/reaction, I hope "fair use" doctrine applies here.
#rock #review #reaction #musicvideo #audio #bandmaid #jrock
0:00 Intro
1:01 matchless GUM
12:44 live video
19:49 Unfair game
MIku says Matchless is their relationship and Gum is them sticking together as a band
Makes total sense, LOL. Certainly Band-Maid is matchless in my opinion.
The live is from Shinkiba Studio Coast 2017 a few months after Saiki's surgery. If you look closely at Kanami's right arm, it's strapped up as she was suffering from tendonitis
Sad that this venue closed in 2022. I'm guessing it never reopened?
I'm surprised her hands don't just fall off after a show, she such a busy guitarist.
The harness was due to Kanami just having her arms re-glued after falling off the night before. She just picks them up and they do it all over again.🤣
Thank you for the correction. Perhaps her voice was still rough from recovery -- or just from exertion at this show. :-)
As for the replies -- I'm always amazed at Kanami's stamina, especially for songs near the end of a show when she still seems as fast and agile as at the beginning. (Sometimes I see the strain on her face, but I never hear it from her strings.)
Just a little thing: 6:59 a momentary stop for everyone! Only Kanami!
Good point! Another bit of "something missing" at various points in this song.
@@Chan_Fry You are doing a great job!
Chan, I owe you a HUGE shout out for showing me how Miku and Saiki spell their names in Japanese. Once again I had my mind blown by BAND-MAID. I had no idea they were contributing to the writing of lyrics as early as Brand New Maid. Honestly, I was kinda embarrassed by my ignorance. Thank you Sir!
I'm learning as I go, so I try to pass that along. :-) And you're welcome...
"Matchless GUM" is one of my all time favourite tracks by them. Nothing else sounds quite like it, it's unique. I even prefer this Studio Coast recording over the studio version. I was lucky enough - and extremely happy - to have heard them play this live twice last October. It's a banger!
Glad you got to see it live. What a treat!
I really like the courage to put a non-standard song out there... The imaginative construction of Matchless GUM is pretty special.
One of my favorite things about them is their willingness to experiment -- yet they somehow stay within the lanes that I need to them to. :-)
Thanks again for sharing your thoughts.
I love the grimy feel of "Matchless Gum"; it's unique in their discography. I also think it's their most seductive song. It might go up a bit in your estimation after some more listens, and when it's not surrounded by other "slow" songs. But, maybe not haha.
Here's what the maids have to say about the title:
" ――What is the origin of the title of the third track "matchless GUM"?
Miku: "Matchless" means "one and only", but when it has become "matchless GUM" it starts to mean "stick together, don’t break up". As the lyrics feel cuter than the other songs, it is more about "Thinking about our relationship.", and saying "Stick around and please don’t leave."
――You expressed it as “GUM”?
Saiki: That was the concept. “Stick together” and you expressed it as… chewing gum (laughs). "
As for "Unfair Game", that was inspired by the film "The Big Short" which is about "how the 2007-2008 financial crisis was triggered by the United States housing bubble."
Very interesting! They certainly have stuck together and failed to break up (one of the many things I love about this band). As for "Unfair game, what a unique inspiration for the song -- and it certainly matches the title. (Looks like I forgot to check the lyrics for that one before listening... Oops!)
"Grimy" and "seductive" are good words to describe Matchless GUM, LOL. It is indeed unique for that anticipatory feeling during the first verse (and other things). I love that it ended on a guitar solo... :-)
Unfair Game is an awesome song, one of my favorites by them!! The intricate play between all the instruments and vocals is so tasty to listen to especially as a drummer! 😎
It's amazing how deep one can dive into this catalog and still uncover masterpieces... Thanks for the comment!
Hi Chan. Thanks for the reaction and comments. I'm really enjoying the ride and going on this journey of systematically exploring BM's catalogue one song at a time. Your efforts are introducing songs that many would not discover on their own., present company included. Cheers!
Thanks for watching! With all the other bands I've ever followed, I tended to be that one guy who would listen to an album start to finish, and if I really liked the band, I'd go back and start collecting their albums from the earliest to latest. Fortunately for my budget, I've only ever felt that way about a handful of groups. :-)
I bought the WD CD with the Studio Coast DVD before I got the YOLO single so this live version was my intro to Matchless Gum. Right after it they play Awkward and that pairing is my favorite part of that concert. Unfair Game blew me away when I finally got the single.
Yes, this version of Awkward with Kanami strumming intro is sublime.
@@makaluku5310 Prior to TGT 23' and YokoAri. Shinkiba Studio Coast was part of the Legendary Big 3 consisting of Zepp Tokyo and Line Cube Shibuya. It's pretty clear what my favorite was, Lol 😆
I haven't got to Awkward yet, but it's on the next album (sitting in front of me), so hopefully I can find a live version to pair it with. :-)
I get psychogenic shivers with nearly every Band-Maid song. It’s like a music-drug they fiendishly inject into their music to keep you addicted… in a good way, of course. Such as: Matchless Gum - the classical-like passage with that hunting chorus pedal and low bass effect just after the solo - especially the last two chords with the counter bass notes. It’s chilling; and second, the way Saiki soulfully attacks the first word “ I “ in the last lines of the official Choose Me MV, “I cannot wait forever…” combined with the raw, tribal drum and funky bass pulls. Pure rock phrasing. She only does it in the official MV. Thx, Chan!
They definitely found the recipe to hook ME. I secretly suspect they consulted psychologists to uncover exactly what I like about rock music (even if I can't articulate it for myself), and injected that into 95% of their songs. :-)
@@Chan_Fry LOL It's been fun following you on your B-M album progression. But may I make one tiny critique? With all the observations and pauses you make, and all the little things you catch, please remember it's the song that is of prime importance.
So a few more comments about what the song does to you, what it churns up in your memory, and why you think it's unique would also be fun to hear, etc.. You're very articulate and thoughtful -- attributes that take you beyond the typical reactor and make your show special! Thx again, Chan!
What an amazing way to "critique". :-) Seriously, your advice is well-taken and I'm floored by how well you did it. If you're not already, you should be a manager/boss -- I've had so many "leaders" in my life who could never so kindly encourage improvement...
Indeed, the MUSIC is what moves me, and despite so many things that I get distracted by, I can always use a reminder to focus on the SONG. :-)
@@Chan_Fry 🙏
Dude! What you're referring to is called Mincho Mode! LoL And she can fall deep into it, especially back in the day!
Plus side note; that Shinkiba Studio Coast clip you played is Golden Golden Era JBI / WD Era Band-Maid.! Props!
The big difference in the show arrangement of Matchless GUM is that during the breakdown before the guitar solo, Kanami plays the guitar hits but Miku recreates the entire line that she and Misa played during the intro, rather than bass carrying it alone.
Oh! My brain isn't fast enough to catch what all of them are doing at any one time -- maybe that's something I'd notice on a fourth or fifth listen. :-) Thanks.
You're hearing the high-hat, not the rims, Akane has closed them tight to get that sound. Later you can hear it's obviously the hats, but she has loosened up so they are not as tightly closed. The cymbals flex as they close and she uses that flex to get some unique sounds.
And I love how much dirt both MISA and Kanami have on their instruments.
The Ladies did use a track for the live. This was November of 2017. Saiki had her surgery the last week of July in 2017.
Squawk Box/Talk-Box. Where you run your guitar through you mouth/vocal microphone via a tube.
And Unfair Game has Kanami's longest solo. Blooming comes close, but in Blooming Kanami also has 2 solos.
On the vocals, the Ladies use a LOT of layering, which many times is added to backing track when performed live. However they also have an effect they can add to the live performance vocal mic's to double the vocals. They have sort of gotten away from using that effect though, preferring to stick to using the backing track.
"high-hat" -- makes sense! But it was a very, very quiet tap that I almost didn't notice. :-)
"November 2017" -- I think you told me that in a previous video, but I wasn't sure if this was the same show. Thanks for the info.
"Kanami's longest solo" -- I guess it depends on how we count it. I counted 32.0 seconds for "Alone" and only 29.63 for "Unfair game" (but maybe part of the "Alone" solo overlaps with vocals so not everyone would count that part).
"vocal layering" -- I tend to not notice most of it -- just sounds like more backup singers sometimes. But this one, the one I mentioned in the reaction, was very specifically split left/right so it caught my attention. :-)
Dang, I miss the old days when this was on their YT channel. Such a strange song, but such an incredible groove to it!
I play this in my car all the time. Great reaction, Fry! 😎🤘
Thanks! Can't wait to do more. 🙂
No displeasure, I enjoy ur reaction to my favourite songs. Next Anemone.
Thanks! Next will be "Don't you tell ME" -- It's track 1 of "Just Bring It", and I'm going in order. :-)
("Anemone" isn't until World Domination...)
Two of their very best. Unfair Game is in my personal top 5 from them. Not bad for a B-side.
I could easily see Unfair game competing for my top five. It's pretty easy for me to determine which ones are "top 50" and which are "bottom 20", but once I narrow it down to five or ten, those choices become very difficult. :-)
It always amuses me that at this time Kanami considered her fingers slow! During the pandemic break Kanami said she worked hard on the aspect of her playing.
I'm sure she worked on it -- but to me, as an unskilled layman, it seems SO fast already here in 2016. LOL.
@@Chan_Fry I totally agree!
Thanks again for more POV. Reinforces how their music has multiple layers. Looking forward to JBI, my favorite album.
Reading the track list for "Just Bring It", it's obvious this will be a contender for my favorite album too. :-) But I could also be that jerk who says "Yes" when you ask me which of their albums is my favorite. :-)
@@Chan_Fry No problem. They are all good!
That intro on Unfair game reminds me of Tool. Tool happens to have one of the other top shelf rhythm sections in rock/metal music.
Interesting connection. I remember trying to get into Tool in the early 2000s but they never quite did it for me.
I think they've only played "Unfair Game" once in America and it was in Detroit last year. Wish I was there.
Nice tidbit. Thanks! I do like how they sometimes pull out an unexpected oldie at rare shows. :-)
I was at the show in Detroit and it was the 14th song out of 22. It was an incredible set list.
@@ziggyphoto I've seen some fancams of that show and it was rockin. I went to Houston and Minneapolis. We got "Secret My Lips" and "You" in Houston. Coming from Texas I didn't know if I could handle Detroit but I'm kickin myself for not making more shows LOL.
Matchless Gum is a terrific song, and this performance is stellar. I love that the sound engineer at Studio Coast fluctuated the vocals like on the record
Yes! I did comment on that part, but edited it out for time... It sounded like her voice was about to break there anyway, but it came off wonderfully close to the original. :-)
A couple of things I hear uniquely in Unfair Game. One, your comment about Saiki's vocals. Vocal doubling has been around for a long time, but I don't know if I have ever heard double vocals being planned individually before. Second, almost every BandMaid studio track (other than MIJ) has Kanami panned hard right and MISA and Miku panned hard left. In UG, everything seems pretty streamlined down the middle.
Good point about lead/rhythm guitars being panned differently in Unfair game. I didn't even notice the difference until you mentioned it, but I think it might be because they're so often not playing at the same time. (The high-speed picking during the verse is nearly alone, and the other guitar coming in for emphasis on certain beats needs to be in both ears, I think.)
the guitar synth in the background is screaming matchless gum listen to it closely, and that is the only time you hear the name of the song
Interesting! I'm unable to make out any words/syllables in that sound, but it very well could be my aging ears. :-)
I am going to go out on a limb and say Blooming will be the longest solo (the second one of the 3). 🤣
I'm sure someone has a spreadsheet somewhere. :-) I'm keeping unofficial count of all the solos I've reacted to so far, and I've got "Alone" at 32.0 seconds, the longest of their first three albums and two singles. (But like I said, the counting is subjective when it comes to start/finish times.)
By my count, this is the top five (up through 2016):
1. Alone 32.0
2. Unfair game 29.63
3. Look At Me Baby 28.67
4. Bye My Tears 24.35
5. Don't Apply The Brake 24.03
With regards to "Unfair Game", this song always gives me "BRATS" vibes. They were a three female/1male Japanese rock band. Great band that could have really give Band-Maid a run but they were just too flighty and inconsistent and members issues, I gave up on them. Seems they lost it after their lead guitarist Hinako left before the release of their latest album in 2020 I believe. Also their label wouldn't let any youtuber react to them, which is so counter productive. They have suspended activities indefinitely in 2024....too bad.
Give them a listen in your down time, I think you'll like them. Very interesting history. ua-cam.com/channels/a-fvWMkpJstU9OZeVpHRpA.html
Interesting! I've actually heard a couple of Brats songs (I think "Spiderweb" was one), and they do seem like a band I could listen to. I haven't absorbed enough of their sound to get a "vibe", but I did notice that their vocal rhythms seemed off-putting (maybe not the right word) to me. Maybe I'll give them another shot (except, as you say, they've apparently disbanded -- but no harm in listening to pre-existing stuff, right?)
@@Chan_Fry Try Mrs Downer, No More-No More, Doudatte yokatta (banger), Kimarigoto (banger), Forget Me Not. Rei Kuromiya teamed up with another girl named Rei and they are now Rei Rei singing idols stuff. Seems she prefers her old Ladybaby Days......maybe her sister Aya wil start another band and get Hinako back. There's a lot of great music still to be discovered by bands that no longer exist. Current band or not I just love new-to-me music.
MISA MISA MISA!!!!! MISA MISA MISA!!!!! "Matchless Gum" a great song (not as good as "YOLO" ) but unfortunately they RUINED the LIVE with the Synth too far forward in the MIX post surgery Nov 2017 "Unfair Game" is Far better than "Matchless Gum "but NOT as good as "YOLO" IMO considering "YOLO" is in my top 15 because of MISA
I agree the synth was too loud in the mix -- it was distracting rather than complementary... As for "YOLO", one of my friends says it's in his top five Band-Maid songs (but he generally prefers slower, more introspective rock than I do). :-)
@@Chan_Fry depending on what you call heavy most of my top 10 are heavy "Flying High" "Liberal" "Secret My Lips" "Rinne" "Clang" etc
I guess "heavy" or "hard" is as subjective as anything else about music, LOL. For me, it's the feeling I get: does it make me want to lean back and *think* about stuff? Or does it make me want to get up and *do* things? That's how I divide it. :-)