Review Summary: J-pop, darkwave, electronica, techno. Call it what you will, Vampire Ecstasy is an amazing album.
Who the #!%^ are Aural Vampire? Valid question. A two-piece Japanese electronic band from Tokyo with "no" albums and several EPs, not surprisingly, has a very small following here in the States. Consisting of Exo-Chika, the vocalist, and Raveman, the DJ behind all of the music, Aural Vampire is a Gothic, vampire-obsessed, electropop group that makes ridiculously catchy music.
When I said they have "no" albums, what I meant was that their only album to date (this one,
Vampire Ecstasy) was self released in '04 and isn't part of their official discography on their website. Why the record company who now owns their music wouldn't want to associate with this album is beyond me. For an album, this is great. For a self-produced debut, simply superb. For anyone interested, their "first" album,
Zoltank, comes out May 5th.
On to the music. The first track, accurately titled "オープニング" ("Opening"), is a dark, chaotic collection of samples. From what little Japanese I know, the voice at the beginning is talking about something related to sound and later talks about hell and vampires. After the drumbeat-proper sets in, the last minute of the song gives the first real taste of Raveman's DJ-ing skills.
This album is a perfect blend of sample-heavy, drum-driven electronic beats and addictive female pop vocals. From the immediately-catchy chorus of the title track to the odd, jazzy piano on "Hana no Sakigake", it is clear that this dark twist on the catchy pop we've come to love (or loathe) from Japan that
Vampire Ecstasy stands out from its peers in the best way possible. "Preservative Women", with its upbeat robotic voices and Oriental-sounding instruments, will have you bobbing your head as readily as the dark, Satanic voice of "Crimson Tyrant" (an instrumental of sorts) will have you tapping your foot.
Remember what I said about this album being dark and twisted? Listen to "PNFPN". One of the most upbeat, happy, so-sweet-it's-painful synthpop song's I've ever heard. So much for only having one angle.
I'd be remiss if I didn't point out the album's (very few) flaws. It can drag on a bit at times, with the multiple voice samples going on for a little longer than they should. If you're not a fan of this kind of music, the songs will sound same-y to you. And the 12th track "ãƒ*リアリズãƒ* (Murealism)", ft. "SV925Shark" (what a name) is just not a good song. It misses the mark entirely, its minimalist beat and odd rapped parts by the guest star contributing nothing to the already uninspired vocal performance. I'll give them the one Mulligan.
I'm torn between giving this a 4 or 4.5. Taking everything into consideration, the one bad song and occasionally-prolonged samples don't bring it down the full point from being a 5. This is a low 4.5, but a 4.5 nonetheless. I very strongly recommend picking this album up (from Mediafire, good luck finding it anywhere else).
Recommended tracks
Freeeeze!!
Hana no Sakigake
Preservative Women
PNFPN
