Review: Weiss Flugel – Yousei Teikoku
Why has it taken me forever to get interested in Yousei Teikoku? Why have I not heard of this group before? Why were they hiding?!
Oh, it’s because up to a certain point, I found their releases to be lacklustre (mostly due to the production value). But they have definitely stepped up their game for their 3 month singles campaign. I think I’ll do them in reverse order, so here we have Weiss Flugel.
Artist: 妖精帝國 [Yousei Teikoku]
Title: Weiβ Flügel [Weiss Flugel]
Catalogue: LACM-4529
Tracklisting:
01. Weiβ Flügel [Weiss Flugel]
02. 機械少女幻想 [Kikan Shoujo Musou]
03. Weiβ Flügel [Weiss Flugel] (instrumental)
04. 機械少女幻想 [Kikan Shoujo Musou] (instrumental)
If you know no German, Weiss Flugel means “White Wing” and that’s enough indication that it’s a midtempo-ish song with a strong guitar and violin backing. Good on you Takaha Tachibana.
Actually no, it isn’t. The title track Weiss Flugel is a midtempo track that I’d imagine as the ending theme of an anime or a drama. But what’s really to look out for here is Yui’s voice. It’s got a really aethereal quality to it, which I think is grounded by the instrumentation. It’s very majestic.
The second track on the single is 機械少女幻想 [Kikan Shoujo Musou] which is a hard hitting rock track with a really strong beat. One of the first things that I noticed about this song was the kick and how it stands out so much. I have a feeling if anybody wanted to bootleg this song, a strong gabba kick would work well with this song.
Anyway, wishes for a bootleg aside, I really like Kikan Shoujo Musou. It’s really got some industrial influences and for some reason, I find it very German. Not surprising, since I’ve always found that if ALI PROJECT take their inspiration from the French, then Yousei Teikoku get theirs from the German.
A particular favourite in Kikan Shoujo Musou is the autotuned, linear phase filtered Yui saying “Phase, phase” and “face, face” or “Phase, Phase” and “Fake, fake” on the choruses. Really adds to the “mechanical girl” aspect of this track. Very nice.
Aside from these two tracks, you have the two instrumentals. Which is pretty typical for a single like this considering it’s released by Lantis, of all people.
Verdict:
Ignore
Digital Copy
Physical Copy
While I am a big fan of buying CDs and would buy this single in a heartbeat, unless you find these songs to be up your vein (which it might not be! I know someone who completely hates the b-side even though I love it.) then you just might be better off sticking to a digital copy of this single. In all fairness, both of these tracks may show up on a future Yousei Teikoku album.
