Megamasso - BLESS

Megamasso has been quite busy already in 2009 with their spring tour across Japan. Their first single of the year, BLESS, was released in the middle of their tour. As the title implies, it seems to be a single meant to “bless” their fans with, but longtime fans of Megamasso may be a little disappointed by the overly pretty title track.

A slow, ringing keyboard melody and Inzargi singing the chorus mark the beginning of BLESS, and it doesn’t get off to a very good start. The keyboard sound is rather overbearing, and Inzargi’s vocals sound strained, as though the key were too high. Once the rest of the band kicks in, these problems are less noticeable – mostly because they’re drowned by the sugary sweetness of the main melody. It also feels like there are too many words being crammed in; Inzargi seems a little out of breath at times. The gentle guitar chords that close the song are nice, but overall BLESS is neither a challenging or engaging composition.

Hadairo begins with a faster, guitar driven melody. Inzargi sounds much better on this track, singing with his deep voice. However, while the song is bouncy and fun, it is still another simple - albeit slightly catchy - piece. Hadairo is a song which is nice to stumble upon when searching for new music, but it probably won’t make much of an impression.

The bonus track, Kikaika hito madison no tomodachi, holds more promise with its hard opening. The drums are fast and loud, and there are weird trills interspersed through the opening refrain, giving it an edgy, dark feel. The refrain returns at certain points in the song, adding a nice flair to the minor key verses. Inzargi seems to be in his element, belting out the lyrics smoothly. Just before the chorus, he almost purrs a few lines, and the effect is quite sexy. The second verse has Inzargi singing falsetto for a bit, and it’s done to great effect. Roaring and dissonant guitar playing bring the song to a very satisfying end. The entire song is speedy and wonderfully offbeat, and it’s definitely the best on the single. It’s just too bad that it’s also the shortest track.

While BLESS isn’t hard on the ears, it’s not quite a blessing either, lacking much of the interesting song writing Megamasso is known for. Whether the band plans to continue with this type of pop rock sound remains to be seen, but in the meantime, their fans will just have to cope.