Beyond the Sea

ALBUM REVIEW
Maki Goto - How to use SEXY

1. How to use Loneliness
2. GIVE ME LOVE
3. SOME BOYS! TOUCH *
4. City Wind
5. Nee Samishikute
6. Glass no Pumps *
7. DAYBREAK
8. WOW Suteki!
9. Secret *
10. LIFE

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Note: Songs with a (*) at the end of their titles have already been reviewed. Click on the links to see their reviews.
Songs in bold are new tracks and will be reviewed.

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This is Maki Goto’s 4th album and it was released on September 29, 2007. This album reached #18 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and it has sold 14,996 copies.

Wait a minute, I thought we were learning how to use SEXY, not Loneliness! Anyways, the album’s opening track is pretty hot. How to use Loneliness shows the full extent of Maki Goto’s departure from idol pop. The song is very heavy on the synth and I liked how it was combined with the ethnic string plucking from the guitars. Goto’s vocals are strong and full since she sings most of the song in a lower pitch and that went well with the aggressive music.

The synth gets taken up a notch with the next track, the fast paced GIVE ME LOVE. Almost every aspect about this song is fast and I liked the high energy of the music. From its speedy vocals to the endless looping synth, nothing ever lets up from beginning to end.

Things just get better with SOME BOYS! TOUCH, my favorite song by Goto as well as on this album. I just find it so addicting and catchy and like I said before: it’s the ultimate guilty pleasure. Unfortunately, this song ends the short, yet really awesome “synth phase” of the album as it dabs more into different categories of mainstream pop.

Goto slows down a bit for a song that’s laid back, but still on the sensual side thanks to great vocals. City Wind has a very relaxing lounge club atmosphere and I liked the ambient sounds that it incorporated. What I thought was the most interesting thing about the music was the thumping beat because it had a nice rhythm and it sounded unique.

The next track is kind of boring and pretty much just a less interesting version of City Wind. Nee Samishikute has nothing really going for it except for its gorgeous bridge which features calming strings and piano. It’s too bad the rest of this sleepy song doesn’t follow suit.

At least things begin to pick up briefly with Glass no Pumps, a nice jolt after those slow songs. It’s a heavenly piece of retro pop mixed with catchy lyrics and beats. Even though this song has that idol sound, it’s still very infectious and fun to listen to.

It was nice to hear Goto try out something within the realm of jazz and DAYBREAK is a great experimental track for her. It features a prominent use of brass but also great additional instruments like the several different kinds of percussion. Her vocals also go quite well with the music too and I was surprised by her overall performance.

The next track is VERY poppy and pretty much showing that lingering idol side of Goto. WOW Suteki! is upbeat and happy, but it did nothing for me. Musically, I didn’t think it had any substance compared to the rest of the album since this song is just a bunch of random synth riffs placed here and there.

The album is drawing to a close with Secret, a pop infused ballad. While having the normal strings and piano, the music also features different kinds of beats from bass to waterdrop. It’s a different take on the typical pop ballad so I thought it was well done.

Ending the album is another ballad, but of the orchestral variety. LIFE has a pretty arrangement and a sweeping string section, but the lyrics are what make this song shine. Goto’s vocals sound full and quite strong, but I thought the acapella sequence of the ending could have been better. It felt incomplete and choppy at the very end, despite the lyrics. Aside from that, it’s an effective final track.

I was incredibly skeptical upon first listening to How to use SEXY since it was my first album by a Hello!Project artist, but this album is not bad at all. There are actually some REALLY good songs on here, but not without the bad ones of course. I could have done without Nee Samishikute and WOW Suteki! but the rest of the new tracks are fantastic, especially the ones that open the album. I can’t quite say how it ranks compared to Maki Goto’s previous albums since I haven’t listened to them, but you might find yourself surprised wtih How to use SEXY. You might find something you like and then some.

Overall Rating

4 stars

SINGLE REVIEW
Maki Goto - Secret

1. Secret
2. Inner Child
3. Secret (Instrumental)

This is Maki Goto’s 17th single and it was released on April 11, 2007. This single reached #9 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and it has sold 14,861 copies.

Being a more intimate offering from Maki Goto, I thought that Secret was a nice ballad. It’s also a little more upbeat and has a stronger pop arrangement than the ballads from other Hello!Project soloists like Natsumi Abe and Aya Matsuura. The various synthetic sounds and waterdrop beats give the song its “pop” sound. Goto’s vocals are gentle but get a little stronger near the end.

The B-side is an aggressive pop track. Inner Child has a dynamic use of different instruments while including synthesizers. The strings and electric guitar have the strongest influence in the song and this is most evident in the verses. I thought the guitar solo of the bridge was a good addition too.

Overall Rating 

3½ stars

SINGLE REVIEW
Maki Goto - SOME BOYS! TOUCH

1. SOME BOYS! TOUCH
2. ALL OF US
3. SOME BOYS! TOUCH (Instrumental)

This is Maki Goto’s 16th single and it was released on October 11, 2006. This single reached #5 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and it has sold 29,459 copies. The B-side was used as the first ending theme song for the anime Ginga Tetsudou Monogatari ~Eien e no Bunkiten~.

In my opinion, this is the ultimate guilty pleasure. SOME BOYS! TOUCH is probably Maki Goto’s most daring song to date and it shows off a more mature sound . Okay, the song isn’t really all that dirty like the title implies, but the lyrics are a huge tease and the way Goto sings might convince you otherwise. The music is mostly aggressive synth while still having an overall pop arrangement. This is most evident in the chorus where the music changes to have a more pop sound. The elevating verses and the awesome bridge were the most impressive parts of this song. I didn’t know that Tsunku, the composer AND writer, had it in him to create such a great track.

The B-side is a lot more cutesy pop than the previous track. ALL OF US is a simple song comprising of mostly strings and light percussion that create a light-hearted atmosphere. Goto’s vocals are good but sound a little boring at times. As far as B-sides go, this one was okay.

Overall Rating

4 stars

SINGLE REVIEW
Maki Goto - Glass no Pumps

1. Glass no Pumps
2. LOVE Kan Coffee
3. Glass no Pumps (Instrumental)

This is Maki Goto’s 15th single and it was released on June 21, 2006. This single reached #7 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and it has sold 27,907 copies.

The first of the How to use SEXY singles, Glass no Pumps incorporates a retro sound with its furious use of old fashioned synth and peppy dance beats. What I liked the most about the song was the catchy chorus which has simple English lyrics like Dance with me baby baby and I love you, hold me hold me next to a fast rhythm. Maki Goto’s vocals sound really good here and she does give an almost tantalizing performance.

The B-side, LOVE Kan Coffee, is a total mess. The music felt sloppy especially during the chorus when it’s just synth, synth, and more synth piled on top of one another. While Goto’s vocals are okay, she can’t seem to keep up with the chaotic arrangement. Thank goodness it’s only B-side and it should stay that way since it doesn’t compare to Glass no Pumps at all. Most Hello!Project singles follow this formula: GOOD A-side; BAD B-side.

Overall Rating 

3½ stars