I know, I know....I missed another day. I was doing so well with being on time for things (even having some things typed up early!). I will try not to fail for the few days I have left lol.
This pretty much covers any former group, subgroup, and soloist of HP/48G. So essentially none of the current main groups. Of course the vast majority of the list is Hello Project, mainly because I haven't heard much from the subgroups and soloists of 48G yet. They just have SO MANY songs to get through lol. The list was pretty difficult to come up with because of the massive amount of songs to pick from, but I think I like the way the list is. Maybe next year I'll have more 48G representation.
I finally have all of the songs SDN ever released! I kept holding off on buying this because stage albums are kind of expensive and I was waiting for a cheaper used copy to surface on ebay or Amazon. I had never listened to any of the songs from this stage before receiving the CD so I was expecting songs much like their singles. I was kind of right.
Track #1, Overture: The overtures still annoy the crap out of me, but it's a, uh, interesting change from the normal I guess.
Track #2, Saturday Night Party: I think it's interesting how the overture kind of flows into this song. I don't know of another 48G stage that does that. As for the song, it really doesn't sound like what you think of when you think SDN. It just sounds like a standard AKB stage track. I guess it makes sense that they would have stage songs like this because they had members transitioning from AKB and fans doing the same. But for me, it's just an average 48G stage track. 3.5/5.
Track #3, Never!: This song is slightly more like the SDN of the singles. It sounds like your typical teenage idol group song with the constant "Never Give Up!" chant & the cheerleader sounding vocals. What gives it the SDN flavor is the verses, they have a very slight Latin tinge. 3/5.
Track #4, Black Boy: Here's where the songs finally begin to be what I view SDN as. Although it has a funky spin on SDN's style, it still has too much of a typical 48G track feel to it. Despite this, the song is really catchy and one of my favorites of the stage. 4.5/5.
Track #5, Yuuwaku no Garter: This is my favorite song of the entire stage. It reminds me so much of early Britney Spears. Like a mix of her music from Oops I Did It Again & Britney. I love it. The 48s need to release another song like this. I also need to look up the producer. Good chance that he/she has done other great stuff. 5/5.
Track #6, I'm Sure: This song is also among the better ones from the stage. It has a MM Platinum era mixed with early AKB feel. My only gripe about the song is the one main singer who sounds so young and it's weird. I'm unsure if that is her actual voice or if she was just trying to do the cutesy singing. 4/5.
Track #7, All In: I like the 80s vibe of the song. It gives it a unique flavor from the rest of the stage up to this point. The song does feel like it drags on too long, even though it's only 3:40 in length. 3.5/5.
Track #8, Jajauma Lady: This could have fit perfectly on the single with Mino Monta. It's the first song of the stage that I can envision being on one of their single releases. It has that upbeat classy yet sultry feel that the Mino Monta single has. 4/5.
Track #9, Ganbariina: I have such mixed feelings about this song. It has that slight Latin tinge to it like many other SDN songs, but everything else sounds like a AKB reject. I really don't know what to think about it except that it may have fit better on an AKB stage instead of SDN's. 3.5/5.
Track #10, Futsuu no Anata: This song certainly sounds right out of the 1980s. Usually I like this kind of throwback stuff, but I don't care for this song at all. It suffers from not going anywhere. The song feels like it keeps the same pace throughout the whole thing. There's no change from verse to chorus and it's just monotonous. 3/5.
Track #11, Best By: I'm not too fond of this song either. The end of this stage as a whole is pretty underwhelming. This song is better than Futsuu just because of the guitar solo in the bridge. It gives the song some much needed life. 3.5/5.
Track #12, Aisareru Tame ni: Well, I guess the ballad song had to pop up somewhere. However, this isn't a snoozefest like most 48G ballads. The vocals are what distinguish this song from others. The girls of SDN really had a lot of talent. 3.5/5.
Track #14, Touhikou: This is such a good song to follow Kodoku na Runner. It's similar to Kodoku in style. This song certainly songs like an SDN track and I'd love to here something like this from 48G today. 5/5.
Track #15, Vampire Keikaku: For a song with vampire in the title, I was expecting something more along the lines of a dark pulsing EDM track. This is not that. This is the more funky side of SDN. I don't feel like this is a very satisfying conclusion to the stage. I feel like this should be switched with either Ganbariina for a light ending or Kodoku for a powerful ending. This seems like a song that should have been in the middle of the stage. 3.5/5.
Honestly, I was expecting a lot more out of SDN48's only stage. It's really a mixed bag. I was hoping for more songs like Kodoku or Gagaga, but there really isn't on this stage. It's not a bad stage at all, in fact, other than AKB's 6th stage I'd say it's my favorite of all of 48Gs stages. My expectations were just too high. 4/5.
I still wish that they would revive SDN in some fashion. There's so many girls in 48G that would work well with this concept. Not to mention as a whole they had the best music. They did end too early.
The title track is Makeoshimi Congratulation. This is their most idol pop single, but it makes sense that it is that way. This was their final single released before their disbandment. Even though it's not the SDN style, it works for a "graduation" single. It sounds like a mix of a couple AKB singles. The music video's too long, but I suppose it shouldn't be any other way for a final single. 3.5/5.
The first B-side is Kuri Kuri, found on all versions of the single. This song is much more SDN style. These kind of songs are why I wish they would revive SDN. 48G as a whole is missing these type of songs recently and it would be nice to have a group doing this kind of music. The more dance pop stuff with a slight Latin tinge. The video's okay. Nothing you haven't seen in 48G before. 5/5.
The next B-side is Ue Kara Natsuko a cover of AKB's Ue Kara Mariko found on the Type A & theater versions of the single. Ue Kara Mariko is one of my least favorite AKB singles and SDN doing it doesn't make it any more interesting of a song. The vocals sound slightly better than the original though. I'm unfamiliar with the AKB MV so I'm not sure if the MV is completely original or not. The outfits totally don't fit the sound of the song.
The final B-side is Owaranai Encore found on the Type A & theater versions of the single. I guess this song is their "graduation song". It's not my type of song, but I like the feel of the song. It's not sad, but instead has a hopeful "looking into the future" feel to it. It's certainly pretty good for a 48G ballad. The music video highlights both the sad part of their disbandment and the hopeful feel of the song. The hopeful shots are gorgeous. 4/5.
This is such a mixed bad single for their final single. It's probably my least favorite single that they released. They should have gone out with a bang and released some crazy club bangers or jazzy sultry songs. 4/5.
I still wonder what would happen if they decided to reboot SDN. I actually think it'd be a pretty good idea. In AKB there's a lot of members that really should move on. I know that sounds horrible to say because they probably enjoy what they do or they would have left by now. If SDN was rebooted though, those members could be transferred and still get to do what they love and AKB could allow more younger members to take the reins. They wouldn't have to do the super sexy image. They could always try something different.
This album is a Best Of album and includes all of the songs from all of their singles (except their final one).
Track #1, Gagaga: The first song I heard from SDN48. I remembering immediately being interested in the group because they were doing electropop instead of the more typical stuff. Then I promptly forgot about the group for no reason until about a year ago lol. Last year I kind of got into the mood of "Buy everything 48G related on ebay" and bought a couple of SDN's singles and really liked them. After getting this album, Gagaga has kind of taken a backseat for me. I still like it, but it's not even close to the best that SDN has to offer. The whispery vocals kind of undermine the song. I really don't understand why that type of vocal is considered "sexy" because it sounds silly to me. 4/5.
Track #2, Kodoku na Runner: This song has become my favorite SDN song by a wide margin. It has such an 80s feel to it. The first thing I thought of when hearing this song was actually Bon Jovi's Runaway. They don't sound alike at all, but they have the same overall feel to them when you listen to the songs. I'd love to see one of the 48s (or heck, even H!P) do a song like this again. 5/5.
Track #3, Eros no Trigger: This song really fits their image. Pulsing beat, sensual feel, good vocals. These type of vocals fit better for "sexy" themes than the annoying whisper ones like in Gagaga. It's not one of my favorites from them, but it's a strong song. 4/5.
Track #4, Sado e Wataru: I like how this song sounds like a mix between Gagaga and a typical AKB song. The big issue with this song though is that it seems to go nowhere. From the verses to the chorus the song is the same tone the whole time except for the end where the chorus kicks up a bit. 3.5/5.
Track #5, Ai, Chuseyo: Chuseyo is a Korean word right? I've never fully understood why SDN tried to release stuff/promote in Korea. Sure their music was closer to K-pop than the rest of 48s, but their image/concept wouldn't have worked in Korea. Going off of that, this is probably their most "K-pop" sounding song. The annoying whisper vocals are back though. I could picture Girl's Day or Sistar doing this song easily. 4/5.
Track #6, Tengoku no Door wa 3kaime no Bell de Aku: I love songs that have a Latin feel to them. SDN really pulls off this style of music. When the chorus kicks in, the song just because incredible. Their vocals sound really impressive together. 5/5.
Track #7, Awajishima no Tamanegi: This is one of those guilty pleasure kind of songs lol. It's so silly (the chanting parts especially) but it's so incredibly catchy. It reminds me a lot of early 2000s A*Teens/similar groups material. It's one of their more idol-ish songs, but it works so perfectly for them. 5/5.
Track #8, Ai yo, Ugokanaide: This song is actually a solo by member Reiko Nishikunihara. The song is a ballad, but it's not nearly as boring as most 48G ballads. Her vocals are very beautiful and you can feel emotion in the song. It's still not something I would listen to on a regular basis, but this is more what I want out of ballads. 4/5.
Track #9, Min Min Min: This single is practically the successor of Gagaga. It's EDM with the annoying whispery vocals. Just like Gagaga, this song could be vastly improved if they sung it differently. I personally prefer Gagaga to this as well. This sounds like a cheap knockoff of that single. 3.5/5.
Track #10, Onedari Champagne: This is my absolute favorite SDN song (excluding their stage songs...haven't heard that CD yet.) It's so catchy and anthemic. Always really makes me want to go get a drink...even though I think champagne tastes terrible xD. 5/5.
Track #11, Abazure: This is one of those songs that I've listened to from an album, but forgot existed. In the case of this song, I don't know why I can never remember it exists because it's pretty good. It's more what I wanted from Gagaga and Min Min Min. It also reminds me a little of Kataomoi Finally (which I LOVE). It's unfortunate that it's such an unmemorable song. 4.5/5.
Track #12, Everyday Katyusha: AKB48 cover. AKB48's is also better.
Track #13, Kudokinagara Azabu Juuban (ft. Mino Monta): This song is a little weird to me. I mean, I get it. I do. Still weird. Even though the subject matter to me is awkward, the song itself sounds really great. The girls' vocals are fantastic. Probably one of their best releases vocally. Even the guy sounds good in the chorus. I don't care for the lines he does solo, but his voice blends well with the girls. The jazzy sound of the song works well with the theme. 4/5.
Track #14, Yaritagariya-san: When I first started to listen to SDN, this song immediately stood out to me. I would seriously love it if any of the 48s now would release a song like this. Bokutachi wa Tatakawanai would be SO much better with a bassline like this. This is the type of song they should have gone with for a single. It sounds like a mix of K-pop (like 2009-2012 K-pop) & 48G. 5/5.
Track #15, Gamjatang Bojou: This song has the same jazzy sound and overall feel that Kudokinagara does. Their vocals are very nice in this song as well. It does almost sound like a copy of Kudokinagara though. 4/5.
Track #16, Cachaca de Jihaku Suru: Another song that has a Latin feel much like Tengoku no Door. I do wish they had released a single with a Latin sound. Something like J=J's Hadaka no Kiss turned into SDN style would have been cool. It's too bad they disbanded. This is one of those rare songs where I really enjoy the verses, but the chorus falls flat. I don't know what it is about the chorus, but it just doesn't work for me. 3.5/5.
Track #17, 1 Gallon no Ase: The only new song on the album. Except for the AKB cover, this is probably the most idol track on the entire CD. It's super catchy though. I could picture AKB releasing this as one of their title tracks. In fact, it sounds a lot like Kibouteki Refrain. 4/5.
Next Encore (Audio) [Note: not all tracks on playlist]
It's still a shame that SDN disbanded. They really had some great songs and I think they should have released more than one stage and one album (which is really just a compilation.) For this CD, there really isn't a song that I would skip. Certain songs are stronger than others, but as a whole the album is one of my favorite 48G releases. 4.5/5.
