Thank you so much for the request Matt H! I appreciate you! POUND LIKE for more BAND-MAID! SUBMIT INSTANT REACTION REQUEST, IN DEPTH ANALYSIS OR ONE MAN BAND COVERS | wavepotter.squarespace.com/ or JOIN PATREON: www.patreon.com/wavepotter SHOP: wavepotter.myspreadshop.com
FYI...during interviews, the ladies stated that even though their early songs were not originals, they still had input into the crafting of the music. They said that they would not have done a song if it was not to their standard. "THRILL" has the Band-Maid sound, including bass and guitar solos, group sing, catchy chorus, and memorable riffs. They had their sound since the beginning and their sound is evolving as they learn to be better musicians. I think its discredits their value when people say they did not write their earlier songs.
I think they had the help and support/mentoring they deserved to become the great band they are now. Miku contributed some lyrics for Thrill...the pigeon line MUST have been hers :-)
right you are - akutsu kentaro was the primary songwriter on the early stuff so it is obvious that he worked closely with them. and he did well on helping to project the sound they wanted. 'key' is still my early favorite before thrill and real existence
Great reaction. I like Thrill, I'll never skip it when it comes up on Spotify... but Alone is a song I actively seek out a lot. The beginning sounds like "Scotty Doesn't Know" from the movie Eurotrip. :) I love how you can tell that both these songs are Band Maid, but they are so different in composition, style, and density. For me, the best part about Thrill is that it shows that people loved them for the music. No fancy video, no crazy production, no J-Idol girls dancing in Yoga pants... just musicians and their instruments. 15 million views and counting. Alone is another thing entirely, the way that Akane drives Alone is amazing. The bass lines, the vocal harmonies, and of course, Kanami just shredding all over the place. The song is a pop-punk masterpiece, and the first really important stepping stone on their way to World Domination. Welcome Home Masters and Princesses, PO!! 🕊🕊🕊
FYI Kanami records all guitar parts even now. Miku learns them to play live. Kanami actually uses Miku's Zemaitis guitars and amp to record her parts to get the live sound as close to the recording as possible.
If you can find it, check out Band-Maid's "Alone" live at London Comic-Con 2016. Not the best quality, but the camera is mainly behind the band, but a great view of Akane for the most part. It's amazing to be able to see her smash the drums. This was before the days of the click track, so it's really neat seeing Akane count the band back into the song during the little breaks.
If you listen to "Knocking on Your Heart" as a live version from February 2014, you will notice that the intro (12-string guitar) is already running as a backtrack. So they were technically very well equipped from the beginning. That's why I'm sure that they worked with a click track in Seattle at the latest, if not much earlier.
Love that video! It is the closest to an isolated drum cam of Akane performing live. Its awesome to see her blast through her fills at blinding speed and really shows her greatness and as a true beast of a drummer.
Thrill may be a simple song, but I am thankful that they did it since Miku and Kanami indicated in an interview had they not done that song Band-Maid would not exist. This is pre-Goth Saiki and Misa!
I love how nearly all the _musician_ reactors who do analysis eventually have a Band-Maid poster (or three) appear on a wall in the background. Kinda says something about the band. Saikis' playing with her model Shinkansen train set, Kanami is grinding coffee, Miku has a racing form and a radio to listen to the horse race, Misa's got a bottle of booze, and yeah Akane's got a big bowl of noodles. And of course the whole tea party motif pops up constantly in album art and videos. P.S. To date, Kanami has played all the guitars on the recordings. With their schedule, and Miiku's other jobs in the band, there apparently has never been enough time for her to get the parts down before they go into the studio. In a recent interview she promised Kanami she'd try to change that. However, for Unseen World Misa and Kanami recorded some of the instrument tracks at home, so it may be a moot point if Kanami's already laid down a studio-quality guitar track for Miku to learn.
Great job Wave! You have a great skill in making your analysis understandable, and interesting, to both Musicians and Non-Musicians. One of the few on You tube able to do that!
A few comments here about respecting their earlier songs and I agree with that sentiment. The people at their record company who guided, taught, and influenced them deserve tons of respect. Without them we wouldn't have Band-Maid as they are. But at the same time we can acknowledge (just as they did) that they were being surpassed. There's no shame in saying, "Band-Maid writes better songs than us". They write better songs than most bands ever have. So I believe that, when people say that their self-written stuff is better, it doesn't mean that their earlier stuff is bad or shouldn't be enjoyed or that credit shouldn't be given to those people.
I think we should really give more props and respect to the writers of their earlier songs. They helped shape the Band-Maid sound of today so much. Man, I was just listening to "New beginning" again lately and I had so much fun, so many great songs on it.
A fine reaction as always Wave This is what Saiki said in that part before the solo. "I'm just suffocating here. I need escape from this place here. I wanna go away in 3, 2, 1 go.
Ryan Mears did a review of Brand New Maid album, and said, that while the non-Band-Maid written songs were good, Alone totally eclipses them, and it's not even close.
At the time when Alone was released, Miku was just 15% of her current guitar skill, she can only play power chords and still cannot play standard chords. Now she can play anything that Kanami puts out. The day of Miku finally playing a legit lead solo by herself is going to be coming real soon.
I will look forward to it. But I think her rhythm guitar skills have progressed so much. When I listen to their songs ( I know Kanami plays rhythm on the studio versions) I listen to the rhythm parts she writes. I think they are part of what sets this band apart from so many other bands.
THRILL was the first BAND-MAID MV that popped up on my YT feed when I first stumbled across this J-Rock/Metal phenomena (ashamedly, only a couple months ago). The journey through this music scene is so freeking fun. Thanks for the break-down and analysis' on this band and others, really helped me understand what the the hell I'm witnessing here (mind blowing). After several weeks, still shell shocked at the talent here.
They didn’t write the early songs, but they did have a good working relationship with the writers and did the arrangements themselves. They credit the writers with teaching them about songwriting.
The solo in Alone is still one of Kanami's best. She wants the solo to evoke an emotion as part of the story of the song. The intentional feedback like a siren over the vocals, and the solo starts with an acceleration, like you are actually getting out of this place like the lyrics say.
There's a live version of Thrill, too, where at least one change is Misa's solo being more complex. But yeah wow, the contrast between these songs is amazing. Thrill's arrangement is so spare in comparison. I've watched a lot of reaction videos to it and more than a few people aren't grabbed by it at first. Then you get a bass solo and hey isn't that quite novel! Then Kanami's solo starts and /that's/ when people, especially musicians, sit up and really start paying attention. It's easy to see how that song put them on the map. And yeah Miku wasn't playing guitar at that point, but her "prop" was a Rickenbacker. Classy af. The arrangement to Alone is just so much more rich. It's like they took all the creativity that they hadn't been allowed to express and poured it all into that one piece. It has all the composition techniques we've come to expect from them and feels like they've finally been cut loose and are running with the wind. IMO. Your ability to hear so many things at once is pretty amazing to me, and you catch things right away that would take me a dozen listens to notice. Thanks again for another great video.
In both music videos I count 4 strings on MISA's bass, whereas in the live video I count 5 strings on her bass. I wonder at what point exactly MISA transitioned from performing with 4 strings to 5 strings.
Misa was playing Fender American Deluxe Jazz 4 string and then moved to Black Cloud Black Smoker Beta J5 All custom bass 5 string around Sept 2017. Black Cloud is a 2-men custom shop in Nagoya Japan.
Well let me tell you about a story about a group named *BAND-MAID* A group of lovely girls who played rock music that thought was dead And then one day *BAND-MAID* went to the record producers And the next thing you know they started writing on their own *Alone* that is the first song they wrote on their own Well the next thing you know *BAND-MAID* is now and free To write their own music as they shouted out with glee They said *Domination* is where you oughta be And they pack their up gear to make history... _(Copyright claim under BM 4-Life and others)_
MISA MISA MISA! Nostalgia Nostalgia Nostalgia! 2014 Sai-chan still hasn't learned how to use her hands (holding on to the mike stand like it is a life preserver) MISA wearing shoes and using a 4 string Miku holding the Guitar like its a weapon (or neck ornament) not an instrument Mincho before she changed to PRS Guitars but still Rocking out and of course A-chan still with the Little Hat and strangely not smiling
There is also a wonderful version from London MCM ComicCon. The original was since removed from RUclips, but you can watch it in a reaction video: ruclips.net/video/Z6OiroA2ShU/видео.html Akane is just going nuts there. The guy is filming it from the side of the stage, and it's pretty much only drums that are heard well. Unfortunately, they did not perform "alone" in Europe in 2019.
From what I understand, Kanami wrote Alone not realizing it was a little too low for Saiki. Not sure if Saiki sang on any of the earlier songs that Kanami wrote but were rejected. Saiki mentioned it to Kanami, who didn't make that mistake again.
Thrill is the only official video with all five still in their maid uniforms. The lyrics for Alone is one of Miku's darker songs. Lyrics: Oh oh… I dived right inside of you It was like a complicated labyrinth I can’t escape from it no matter how long it took Being not aware of it, I found myself in a trap (I’m) suffocating, running out of breath Not being able to do anything, I just I just cried Nothing but troubles, I’m becoming depressed At this point, let me forget it all As if you will just forget about everything Don’t stare at me with those eyes (It) doesn’t matter if it isn’t true If I can just accept it all, then it’s all good right? It’s just an escape from reality Oh oh… I dived right inside of you Being entangled by lies, I’m already tired and sick of it It’s just all a game, like tossing around sloppily After using me, you’ll just cast me away right? Right? Being not aware of it, I found myself in a trap (I’m) suffocating, running out of breath Not being able to do anything, I just I just cried Searching for a way to escape oh At this point, let me forget it all As if you will just forget about everything Don’t stare at me with those eyes (It) doesn’t matter if it isn’t real If I can just accept it all, then it’s all good right? It’s just an escape from reality I’m just suffocating here I need to escape from this place here I wanna go away in 3, 2, 1 GO As if you will just forget about everything Don’t stare at me with those eyes (It) doesn’t matter if it’s all a lie If I can just accept it all, then it’s all good right? It’s just an escape from reality Oh oh…
Here's what blows my mind: - Most bands will try to get to and stay on the level of Thrill their whole careers and do just fine. - Many bands will spend decades refining their sounds to where they can produce something like Alone once or twice per album, released every 2-4 years. Those bands are the standouts. - For BAND-MAID, Alone is basically the demo. It's the starting point, the baseline. We all know where that went, it's scary to think where it's going to go.
Wave-kun! Another Maidiac's dream: great concept! Yes - Miku's voice is def different when she's singing lead or co-lead as in "Thrill." Speaking of "Thrill:" Amazing how darned good (and badass) they were that long ago, isn't it? Hearing you talk about "Alone," I am even more convinced this debut self-written song is just superb. IMHO one of Kanami's top 5 solo's.
There both great songs, period ! Why are we always pitting songs against each other ? Each song is a quality performance. And perfect for where they were at, in their careers.
They where under contract and "NEVER" thought of quitting, they where "just getting started" especially in the clubs of Tokyo and Miku taking Saiki on many, many interviews.
MISA has said in interviews that she was dong part-time jobs just to survive during the first year or so, and was thinking of quitting until Thrill went viral.
@@thomasrotweiler Misa told in her interview: Anyways, I did not want to stop playing the bass. "So she could have stopped playing the bass", which means she was invited to Band-Maid after the decision of the disbandment of Prototype. They where under contract and the management (Record?) company never gave it a thought of dropping them.
@@lakenneth374 In the translation of her interview in the Band-Maid mook she said (not my translation) "Actually... there was 1 time when I thought I wanted to quit BAND-MAID. It was before the 1st or 2nd one-man [BAND-MAID only concert, not as part of a bigger event or joint event with other bands or activities]. I felt there was a slight gap between the music that I really liked and the music that BAND-MAID was playing at that point in time. " No-one has suggested that their record label wanted to get rid of them.
True, those two songs sound as if they're worlds apart, but a lot of good stuff is from that early, not self-composed period. Real Existence (from the same album as Thrill) and The Non-Fiction Days (from the album that alone was on) definitely hold up, in my book.
If you can get a reaction free pf this video, you can hear Akane's drums from their 2016 UK Comicon Performance. The original video was weirdly taken down because it had over 200k views I think ruclips.net/video/Z6OiroA2ShU/видео.html
Kanami calls "Alone" the most important song in her career. Because this song has established her as the composer of Band-Maid. She is very proud of it. P.S. The band members say that Thrill was so special to them because it brought them to the attention of foreigners for the first time. Miku told how surprised they were that comments suddenly appeared in English. They were completely surprised and happy because this was not common for Japanese bands in 2014.
OK, I just went back and watched your first Yoyoka reaction from 10 months ago... You were thanking us for crossing 800 subs (after 5 years) ...LOL AMAZING!
oh man this song has been out that long. holy cow. I feel like I just found it. But I remember seeing it the first week. crazy where does time go? jeez
MISA was going to quit until Band Maid played a show (I believe it was in Seattle) and she saw the audience reaction, and she reconsidered (according to an interview I found on You Tube).
Actually Saiki complained to Kanami about "Alone" that "the key is too low for me to sing". Kanami, later in an interview, said that she didn't think of Saiki's singing when she composed "Alone". After this song, Kanami is always thinking about Saiki's singing when composing.
Me thinks you could make a video just comparing the Thrill MV and the Thrill Official Live Video. Set at two very different times, it would show the progression of Band Maid on the same song. (Anyone planning to request this ? :p)
Really nice analysis, I feel especially as a non-musician (I've no idea wtf any of this stuff means), you can convey your analysis in a way I still appreciate! And yeah, I feel like Thrill is a nice song, but Alone sounds much more matured. Thrill sounds like a nice song written by someone for someone else to play. Alone sounds like a song written entirely by the people who want to play it themselves. If that even makes any sense. I'm no musician so what do I know!
I learned about BAND-MAID through Thrill, learned about the band's arranging skills through The Non-Fiction Days, and learned that Kanami is a genius through Alone.
like your hat - just got back monday from a 11 day vacation in colorado springs. lots to see and do. but i always come back with t-shirts instead of hats. i look like a dork in hats ! miku probably snuck in a chord or two but nothing more in thrill. but she progressed quickly with the tutoring of kanami and with each song became more proficient. 'real existence' had her step it up a notch and the mv is killer
I need to see that soon! And that's awesome! We were there back in May, and spent a few days in Colorado Springs after flying into Denver and driving through Boulder up to Granby and Hot Sulfur Springs. Such a beautiful place! Did you go to the Garden of the Gods? So cool!
@@WavePotter yes to the garden. and also royal gorge bridge which was very cool. did the zip line there 1000 ft above and across the gorge. the garden of the gods was quite a bit smaller [ in area ] than i thought it would be but still strikingly beautiful. so here's the mv for real existence - i believe their second mv from 2015 - and miku is coming along nicely. yet she is still not playing all of the time: ruclips.net/video/9TkHpvaO09c/видео.html
Thrill was the first song to get me hooked on to Band-Maid BUT this quarter pounder prefers Alone! The whole song is awesome!! The guitar solo is epic compared to Thrill! For me it’s Alone followed by Choose Me
Miku knew how to play bars cords, as shown. But a couple of inadvertent things happens when Miku stops playing to sing leads or backup vocals. I say inadvertent because it originally happened in the early days of Band-Maid (like Thrill) when she was not capable of doing both at the same time: 1) It leaves space for her (and Saiki's) vocals, and 2), it brings a dynamic to the music that wouldn't be there if she played across her singing parts. Of course now as she's gotten pretty damn great, she plays many times while singing. But this unintentional rhythm guitar drop-out adds a dynamic, especially when she comes back in, that she still employs and is now part of Band-Maid's signature "live" sound. Since Kanami still plays her guitar parts when recording, you don't hear it as much as with their live performances. I actually prefer the dropped guitar because it reduces the wall of sound that can occur when 2-4 "full-on Kanami" guitar parts are in play on their albums. Alone's somewhat sad, heavy yet empowering story (topics Miku's known for writing about), up against Kanami's up-tempo, complex yet rockin' music is quintessential Band-Maid. Another interesting yet sad fact: Enola is "alone" spelled backwards. For decades, it was known only as the name of the plane that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan - the Enola Gay, named after the pilot's mother. This factoid was so strange, I felt compelled to post it. But it's not directly related to Band-Maid, other than the Japan connection and the word, "Alone". I'm still not sure why I included that disgraceful bit of history. I've always thought the USA could have dropped the A-bomb off shore so people could see its mushroom cloud and destructive force. And if the Japanese military didn't surrender, drop another bomb closer to shore while saying the next one will be on your heads. I think that could have done the trick without all the death. Anyway, it would have been worth a try, imo. Thx, Wave!
According to the interview she gave in the book "The Day before World Domination", she decided to have the operation in the summer of 2017 that was performed soon after.
Another thing I don't think gets noticed/mentioned a lot when talking about the early songs. Saiki's vocals portions were written with the condition of Saiki's voice in mind. She was only at 60% power up till 2017-2018. That's when she got the throat polyps removed. Also at that time she went and got some vocal coaching to improve her techniques as well.
FYI...during interviews, the ladies stated that even though their early songs were not originals, they still had input into the crafting of the music. They said that they would not have done a song if it was not to their standard. "THRILL" has the Band-Maid sound, including bass and guitar solos, group sing, catchy chorus, and memorable riffs. They had their sound since the beginning and their sound is evolving as they learn to be better musicians. I think its discredits their value when people say they did not write their earlier songs.
Thank you so much for the request Matt H! I appreciate you! POUND LIKE for more BAND-MAID!
SUBMIT INSTANT REACTION REQUEST, IN DEPTH ANALYSIS OR ONE MAN BAND COVERS | wavepotter.squarespace.com/ or JOIN PATREON: www.patreon.com/wavepotter
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pls check band maids gear and equipment by reza wahyu channel you will see all the gears
FYI...during interviews, the ladies stated that even though their early songs were not originals, they still had input into the crafting of the music. They said that they would not have done a song if it was not to their standard. "THRILL" has the Band-Maid sound, including bass and guitar solos, group sing, catchy chorus, and memorable riffs. They had their sound since the beginning and their sound is evolving as they learn to be better musicians. I think its discredits their value when people say they did not write their earlier songs.
I think they had the help and support/mentoring they deserved to become the great band they are now. Miku contributed some lyrics for Thrill...the pigeon line MUST have been hers :-)
right you are - akutsu kentaro was the primary songwriter on the early stuff so it is obvious that he worked closely with them. and he did well on helping to project the sound they wanted. 'key' is still my early favorite before thrill and real existence
Great reaction. I like Thrill, I'll never skip it when it comes up on Spotify... but Alone is a song I actively seek out a lot. The beginning sounds like "Scotty Doesn't Know" from the movie Eurotrip. :)
I love how you can tell that both these songs are Band Maid, but they are so different in composition, style, and density.
For me, the best part about Thrill is that it shows that people loved them for the music. No fancy video, no crazy production, no J-Idol girls dancing in Yoga pants... just musicians and their instruments. 15 million views and counting.
Alone is another thing entirely, the way that Akane drives Alone is amazing. The bass lines, the vocal harmonies, and of course, Kanami just shredding all over the place. The song is a pop-punk masterpiece, and the first really important stepping stone on their way to World Domination.
Welcome Home Masters and Princesses, PO!! 🕊🕊🕊
Really well said Matt! Their music has it's own brand of charisma! Thank you again!
FYI Kanami records all guitar parts even now. Miku learns them to play live. Kanami actually uses Miku's Zemaitis guitars and amp to record her parts to get the live sound as close to the recording as possible.
If you can find it, check out Band-Maid's "Alone" live at London Comic-Con 2016. Not the best quality, but the camera is mainly behind the band, but a great view of Akane for the most part. It's amazing to be able to see her smash the drums. This was before the days of the click track, so it's really neat seeing Akane count the band back into the song during the little breaks.
If you listen to "Knocking on Your Heart" as a live version from February 2014, you will notice that the intro (12-string guitar) is already running as a backtrack. So they were technically very well equipped from the beginning. That's why I'm sure that they worked with a click track in Seattle at the latest, if not much earlier.
Love that video! It is the closest to an isolated drum cam of Akane performing live. Its awesome to see her blast through her fills at blinding speed and really shows her greatness and as a true beast of a drummer.
Thrill may be a simple song, but I am thankful that they did it since Miku and Kanami indicated in an interview had they not done that song Band-Maid would not exist. This is pre-Goth Saiki and Misa!
When the MV for Thrill was released they got so many hits outside of Japan that they thought they got hacked.
I love how nearly all the _musician_ reactors who do analysis eventually have a Band-Maid poster (or three) appear on a wall in the background. Kinda says something about the band. Saikis' playing with her model Shinkansen train set, Kanami is grinding coffee, Miku has a racing form and a radio to listen to the horse race, Misa's got a bottle of booze, and yeah Akane's got a big bowl of noodles. And of course the whole tea party motif pops up constantly in album art and videos.
P.S. To date, Kanami has played all the guitars on the recordings. With their schedule, and Miiku's other jobs in the band, there apparently has never been enough time for her to get the parts down before they go into the studio. In a recent interview she promised Kanami she'd try to change that. However, for Unseen World Misa and Kanami recorded some of the instrument tracks at home, so it may be a moot point if Kanami's already laid down a studio-quality guitar track for Miku to learn.
Both videos: MISA - Fender American Deluxe Jazz Bass
Kanami - Addicton Modern Series RH with reverse headstock
Miku - Rickenbacker Model 620
Rickenbacker Model 620 fashion necklace in "Thrill" ;)
Don't Let Me Down
Great job Wave! You have a great skill in making your analysis understandable, and interesting, to both Musicians and Non-Musicians. One of the few on You tube able to do that!
Thank you so much Glen! I'm really glad to hear that!
@@WavePotter You've worked hard and it shows!
A few comments here about respecting their earlier songs and I agree with that sentiment. The people at their record company who guided, taught, and influenced them deserve tons of respect. Without them we wouldn't have Band-Maid as they are. But at the same time we can acknowledge (just as they did) that they were being surpassed. There's no shame in saying, "Band-Maid writes better songs than us". They write better songs than most bands ever have. So I believe that, when people say that their self-written stuff is better, it doesn't mean that their earlier stuff is bad or shouldn't be enjoyed or that credit shouldn't be given to those people.
Well said Tiny Hat!
I couldn't agree more. I really enjoy their earlier stuff as well as their new albums.
I think we should really give more props and respect to the writers of their earlier songs. They helped shape the Band-Maid sound of today so much.
Man, I was just listening to "New beginning" again lately and I had so much fun, so many great songs on it.
You are pointing out so much of the things I love of this song and new stuff that most people don't know. This is why is my favorite Band-Maid song
A fine reaction as always Wave This is what Saiki said in that part before the solo. "I'm just suffocating here. I need escape from this place here. I wanna go away in 3, 2, 1 go.
Their live Alone is at the JRock Argentina page of FB.
Haven't watched yet, but no-brainer, "Alone" > "Thrill" , not even close
Ryan Mears did a review of Brand New Maid album, and said, that while the non-Band-Maid written songs were good, Alone totally eclipses them, and it's not even close.
No other band breaks new gate as well as Band-Maid do.
Another great reaction from a great guy and a tremendous trio of performances by the world's best band!
At the time when Alone was released, Miku was just 15% of her current guitar skill, she can only play power chords and still cannot play standard chords. Now she can play anything that Kanami puts out. The day of Miku finally playing a legit lead solo by herself is going to be coming real soon.
I will look forward to it. But I think her rhythm guitar skills have progressed so much. When I listen to their songs ( I know Kanami plays rhythm on the studio versions) I listen to the rhythm parts she writes. I think they are part of what sets this band apart from so many other bands.
Two for Tuesday, what better way to end the day. It's always a thrill to listen to Band-Maid, just don't listen to it when alone.
THRILL was the first BAND-MAID MV that popped up on my YT feed when I first stumbled across this J-Rock/Metal phenomena (ashamedly, only a couple months ago). The journey through this music scene is so freeking fun. Thanks for the break-down and analysis' on this band and others, really helped me understand what the the hell I'm witnessing here (mind blowing). After several weeks, still shell shocked at the talent here.
Welcome to the pigeon hole! It has only been about a year for me and I still can't get enough.
Just .. AMAZING. What a band. Good Lord these girls can play AND perform with such fervor and explosive energy.
No matter how they got there, they have single bandedly changed the course of modern music forever, they have no rival's.
If you are having headaches that are really bad or just not normal for you, tell your doctor. Trust me.
Thank you for your concern Kevin. I appreciate it.
They didn’t write the early songs, but they did have a good working relationship with the writers and did the arrangements themselves.
They credit the writers with teaching them about songwriting.
The solo in Alone is still one of Kanami's best. She wants the solo to evoke an emotion as part of the story of the song. The intentional feedback like a siren over the vocals, and the solo starts with an acceleration, like you are actually getting out of this place like the lyrics say.
Thanks. My favorite solo.
There's a live version of Thrill, too, where at least one change is Misa's solo being more complex. But yeah wow, the contrast between these songs is amazing. Thrill's arrangement is so spare in comparison. I've watched a lot of reaction videos to it and more than a few people aren't grabbed by it at first. Then you get a bass solo and hey isn't that quite novel! Then Kanami's solo starts and /that's/ when people, especially musicians, sit up and really start paying attention. It's easy to see how that song put them on the map. And yeah Miku wasn't playing guitar at that point, but her "prop" was a Rickenbacker. Classy af.
The arrangement to Alone is just so much more rich. It's like they took all the creativity that they hadn't been allowed to express and poured it all into that one piece. It has all the composition techniques we've come to expect from them and feels like they've finally been cut loose and are running with the wind. IMO.
Your ability to hear so many things at once is pretty amazing to me, and you catch things right away that would take me a dozen listens to notice. Thanks again for another great video.
And in Alone she actually plays that Rickenbacker!
I think is the only music video with Misa and Saiki in maid outfits.😲
In both music videos I count 4 strings on MISA's bass, whereas in the live video I count 5 strings on her bass. I wonder at what point exactly MISA transitioned from performing with 4 strings to 5 strings.
Looks like 2016(ish) according to the unofficial DB. You'll also notice Kanami playing a Addictone instead of a PRS, and Akane only has one rack tom.
Misa was playing Fender American Deluxe Jazz 4 string and then moved to Black Cloud Black Smoker Beta J5 All custom bass 5 string around Sept 2017. Black Cloud is a 2-men custom shop in Nagoya Japan.
I saw an interview were MISA said it was during the making of world domination when she switched over to the 5 string.
@@snowdog5895 Thanks for that answer!
@@fastskipper777 Thanks for that answer!
Since back then alone still my #1 favorite song
#4 for me. Following Yolo, Wonderland and Daydreaming. All great songs though.
Well let me tell you about a story about a group named *BAND-MAID*
A group of lovely girls who played rock music that thought was dead
And then one day *BAND-MAID* went to the record producers
And the next thing you know they started writing on their own
*Alone* that is the first song they wrote on their own
Well the next thing you know *BAND-MAID* is now and free
To write their own music as they shouted out with glee
They said *Domination* is where you oughta be
And they pack their up gear to make history...
_(Copyright claim under BM 4-Life and others)_
MISA MISA MISA!
Nostalgia Nostalgia Nostalgia! 2014
Sai-chan still hasn't learned how to use her hands (holding on to the mike stand like it is a life preserver)
MISA wearing shoes and using a 4 string
Miku holding the Guitar like its a weapon (or neck ornament) not an instrument
Mincho before she changed to PRS Guitars but still Rocking out
and of course
A-chan still with the Little Hat and strangely not smiling
Check Vladimir's Hamburg footage, right in front of Kanami.
There is also a wonderful version from London MCM ComicCon. The original was since removed from RUclips, but you can watch it in a reaction video: ruclips.net/video/Z6OiroA2ShU/видео.html
Akane is just going nuts there. The guy is filming it from the side of the stage, and it's pretty much only drums that are heard well.
Unfortunately, they did not perform "alone" in Europe in 2019.
From what I understand, Kanami wrote Alone not realizing it was a little too low for Saiki. Not sure if Saiki sang on any of the earlier songs that Kanami wrote but were rejected. Saiki mentioned it to Kanami, who didn't make that mistake again.
Thrill is the only official video with all five still in their maid uniforms.
The lyrics for Alone is one of Miku's darker songs. Lyrics:
Oh oh…
I dived right inside of you
It was like a complicated labyrinth
I can’t escape from it no matter how long it took
Being not aware of it, I found myself in a trap
(I’m) suffocating, running out of breath
Not being able to do anything, I just
I just cried
Nothing but troubles, I’m becoming depressed
At this point, let me forget it all
As if you will just forget about everything
Don’t stare at me with those eyes
(It) doesn’t matter if it isn’t true
If I can just accept it all, then it’s all good right?
It’s just an escape from reality
Oh oh…
I dived right inside of you
Being entangled by lies, I’m already tired and sick of it
It’s just all a game, like tossing around sloppily
After using me, you’ll just cast me away right?
Right?
Being not aware of it, I found myself in a trap
(I’m) suffocating, running out of breath
Not being able to do anything, I just
I just cried
Searching for a way to escape oh
At this point, let me forget it all
As if you will just forget about everything
Don’t stare at me with those eyes
(It) doesn’t matter if it isn’t real
If I can just accept it all, then it’s all good right?
It’s just an escape from reality
I’m just suffocating here
I need to escape from this place here
I wanna go away in 3, 2, 1 GO
As if you will just forget about everything
Don’t stare at me with those eyes
(It) doesn’t matter if it’s all a lie
If I can just accept it all, then it’s all good right?
It’s just an escape from reality
Oh oh…
Here's what blows my mind:
- Most bands will try to get to and stay on the level of Thrill their whole careers and do just fine.
- Many bands will spend decades refining their sounds to where they can produce something like Alone once or twice per album, released every 2-4 years. Those bands are the standouts.
- For BAND-MAID, Alone is basically the demo. It's the starting point, the baseline. We all know where that went, it's scary to think where it's going to go.
Vlad's the man
If I'm ever lucky enough to get that close to BAND-MAID I'm stealing MISA.
What....again?
@@GaryHolloway-810 I only borrowed her last time.
@@patron40silver Lol. Oh that's ok then. I wasn't sure if you'd given her back after the first time :)
😂 Who could blame you?
Wave-kun! Another Maidiac's dream: great concept! Yes - Miku's voice is def different when she's singing lead or co-lead as in "Thrill." Speaking of "Thrill:" Amazing how darned good (and badass) they were that long ago, isn't it? Hearing you talk about "Alone," I am even more convinced this debut self-written song is just superb. IMHO one of Kanami's top 5 solo's.
There both great songs, period ! Why are we always pitting songs against each other ? Each song is a quality performance. And perfect for where they were at, in their careers.
its more tasty when they wrote thier music it shows what band maid are
They where under contract and "NEVER" thought of quitting, they where "just getting started" especially in the clubs of Tokyo and Miku taking Saiki on many, many interviews.
MISA has said in interviews that she was dong part-time jobs just to survive during the first year or so, and was thinking of quitting until Thrill went viral.
@@thomasrotweiler Misa told in her interview: Anyways, I did not want to stop playing the bass. "So she could have stopped playing the bass", which means she was invited to Band-Maid after the decision of the disbandment of Prototype. They where under contract and the management (Record?) company never gave it a thought of dropping them.
@@lakenneth374 In the translation of her interview in the Band-Maid mook she said (not my translation) "Actually... there was 1 time when I thought I wanted to quit BAND-MAID. It was before the 1st or 2nd one-man [BAND-MAID only concert, not as part of a bigger event or joint event with other bands or activities]. I felt there was a slight gap between the music that I really liked and the music that BAND-MAID was playing at that point in time. " No-one has suggested that their record label wanted to get rid of them.
I can tell that you really enjoy the band made songs, and I'm jealous of those five illustrations.
True, those two songs sound as if they're worlds apart, but a lot of good stuff is from that early, not self-composed period. Real Existence (from the same album as Thrill) and The Non-Fiction Days (from the album that alone was on) definitely hold up, in my book.
If you can get a reaction free pf this video, you can hear Akane's drums from their 2016 UK Comicon Performance. The original video was weirdly taken down because it had over 200k views I think
ruclips.net/video/Z6OiroA2ShU/видео.html
"Thrill" is a cool song, but "Alone" is so much better.😉
Kanami calls "Alone" the most important song in her career. Because this song has established her as the composer of Band-Maid. She is very proud of it.
P.S.
The band members say that Thrill was so special to them because it brought them to the attention of foreigners for the first time.
Miku told how surprised they were that comments suddenly appeared in English.
They were completely surprised and happy because this was not common for Japanese bands in 2014.
OK, I just went back and watched your first Yoyoka reaction from 10 months ago... You were thanking us for crossing 800 subs (after 5 years) ...LOL AMAZING!
Wow.. that's really amazing! Thank you so much for helping me to get here Glen!
@@WavePotter I just plant the seeds and let you do all the hard work! LOL
Best part is, you seem like you are really having fun!
You need to get that poster framed..
Good idea!
This type of analysis is interesting. After all Kanami is a genius composer from the beginning.
Thank you Wave!
It still takes musicians to translate the attitude of the song ! believe me they bring it !
Band Maid just would'nt work without the Dual Vocals !
BAND-MAID ichiban!
oh man this song has been out that long. holy cow. I feel like I just found it. But I remember seeing it the first week. crazy where does time go? jeez
October 26/2021 BAND-MAID / Sense (Official Music Video) is dropping!!!
MISA was going to quit until Band Maid played a show (I believe it was in Seattle) and she saw the audience reaction, and she reconsidered (according to an interview I found on You Tube).
This was my first B MAID song I ever heard. The moment Miku hit the backups I was hooked forever. A full blown maidiac from then on
As I watched Alone live, I was thinking, "This holds up! This is really good!"
This comparison was a great idea. Including the live Alone was a good move.
Actually Saiki complained to Kanami about "Alone" that "the key is too low for me to sing". Kanami, later in an interview, said that she didn't think of Saiki's singing when she composed "Alone". After this song, Kanami is always thinking about Saiki's singing when composing.
I think just generally thinking about Saiki all the time :P
Me thinks you could make a video just comparing the Thrill MV and the Thrill Official Live Video. Set at two very different times, it would show the progression of Band Maid on the same song. (Anyone planning to request this ? :p)
Really nice analysis, I feel especially as a non-musician (I've no idea wtf any of this stuff means), you can convey your analysis in a way I still appreciate!
And yeah, I feel like Thrill is a nice song, but Alone sounds much more matured. Thrill sounds like a nice song written by someone for someone else to play. Alone sounds like a song written entirely by the people who want to play it themselves. If that even makes any sense. I'm no musician so what do I know!
The management must have said, "Holy Shit, Kanami is a wizard, We better let her write everything."
Now happy birthday to our beloved pigeon!
I learned about BAND-MAID through Thrill,
learned about the band's arranging skills through The Non-Fiction Days,
and learned that Kanami is a genius through Alone.
100% Band-Maid 100% Awesome
Best rythm section in active!. They already were in 2016!
Knowing that this was the first song they wrote by themselves made me love them even more! It's still mind-blowing stuff even 5 years ago!
From one disorganized person to another: you're forgiven.
One of my favourite song from BM... Alone
I love 'Thrill' but 'Alone is one of my top 5 favorites.
like your hat - just got back monday from a 11 day vacation in colorado springs. lots to see and do. but i always come back with t-shirts instead of hats. i look like a dork in hats ! miku probably snuck in a chord or two but nothing more in thrill. but she progressed quickly with the tutoring of kanami and with each song became more proficient. 'real existence' had her step it up a notch and the mv is killer
I need to see that soon! And that's awesome! We were there back in May, and spent a few days in Colorado Springs after flying into Denver and driving through Boulder up to Granby and Hot Sulfur Springs. Such a beautiful place! Did you go to the Garden of the Gods? So cool!
@@WavePotter yes to the garden. and also royal gorge bridge which was very cool. did the zip line there 1000 ft above and across the gorge. the garden of the gods was quite a bit smaller [ in area ] than i thought it would be but still strikingly beautiful. so here's the mv for real existence - i believe their second mv from 2015 - and miku is coming along nicely. yet she is still not playing all of the time: ruclips.net/video/9TkHpvaO09c/видео.html
Kanami's solo guitar expretion in Alone song , just like, she was show, who really she is,
Thrill was the first song to get me hooked on to Band-Maid BUT this quarter pounder prefers Alone! The whole song is awesome!! The guitar solo is epic compared to Thrill! For me it’s Alone followed by Choose Me
Akane getting all of that done on a one up -one down drum kit.
In your poster, Kanami is drinking coffee (not tea), and Miku is betting on horseraces.
Ahhh! Thank you for explaining that to me!
Fender Jazz Bass with maple neck and Jimi Hendrix-sticker :D
What a beautiful instrument!
@@WavePotter I've always wanted a Jazz.
Happiness is a roomful of Marshalls.
Thrill is the only video in which MISA wore shoes.
Prog? Pop? Metal? Rock? Nope, it's Band-Maid! In interviews Kanami still says that Alone is her favorite song
Miku knew how to play bars cords, as shown. But a couple of inadvertent things happens when Miku stops playing to sing leads or backup vocals. I say inadvertent because it originally happened in the early days of Band-Maid (like Thrill) when she was not capable of doing both at the same time: 1) It leaves space for her (and Saiki's) vocals, and 2), it brings a dynamic to the music that wouldn't be there if she played across her singing parts. Of course now as she's gotten pretty damn great, she plays many times while singing.
But this unintentional rhythm guitar drop-out adds a dynamic, especially when she comes back in, that she still employs and is now part of Band-Maid's signature "live" sound. Since Kanami still plays her guitar parts when recording, you don't hear it as much as with their live performances. I actually prefer the dropped guitar because it reduces the wall of sound that can occur when 2-4 "full-on Kanami" guitar parts are in play on their albums.
Alone's somewhat sad, heavy yet empowering story (topics Miku's known for writing about), up against Kanami's up-tempo, complex yet rockin' music is quintessential Band-Maid. Another interesting yet sad fact: Enola is "alone" spelled backwards. For decades, it was known only as the name of the plane that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan - the Enola Gay, named after the pilot's mother.
This factoid was so strange, I felt compelled to post it. But it's not directly related to Band-Maid, other than the Japan connection and the word, "Alone". I'm still not sure why I included that disgraceful bit of history. I've always thought the USA could have dropped the A-bomb off shore so people could see its mushroom cloud and destructive force. And if the Japanese military didn't surrender, drop another bomb closer to shore while saying the next one will be on your heads. I think that could have done the trick without all the death. Anyway, it would have been worth a try, imo. Thx, Wave!
Just to take a quote from Talon cos my original comment seems to have gone, "Thanks Wave".👍
Classic RUclips.. 🙃 But my pleasure! Thank you Gary!
If MISA leaves a bottle of vodka on her Orange amp, does she end up with a screwdriver? 😄
Looks like a Fender Jazz to me.
Fender Deluxe Jazz Bass.
You have to react to ASTERISM
The fan am sound is weird because he’s right by MISA.
Saiki had vocal chord surgery in 2018 so I wonder if the live version you watched was around that time.
According to the interview she gave in the book "The Day before World Domination", she decided to have the operation in the summer of 2017 that was performed soon after.
Oh... ouch. I didn't know she had that. Good to know.
👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
🤘🇹🇭🤘
Miku actually helped write the lyrics for this song.
Another thing I don't think gets noticed/mentioned a lot when talking about the early songs. Saiki's vocals portions were written with the condition of Saiki's voice in mind. She was only at 60% power up till 2017-2018. That's when she got the throat polyps removed. Also at that time she went and got some vocal coaching to improve her techniques as well.
FYI...during interviews, the ladies stated that even though their early songs were not originals, they still had input into the crafting of the music. They said that they would not have done a song if it was not to their standard. "THRILL" has the Band-Maid sound, including bass and guitar solos, group sing, catchy chorus, and memorable riffs. They had their sound since the beginning and their sound is evolving as they learn to be better musicians. I think its discredits their value when people say they did not write their earlier songs.