Hi everyone! My Mikuration picks for November are up in the
OP! I'm really excited to share this month's picks with you. I hope you'll agree that each, in its own way, is something special!
"Drag the ground" by Camellia
As far as I can tell, "Drag the ground" was originally created as one of the themes for Miku's association with Goodsmile Racing in 2014. But the first time I personally encountered it was during Miku Expo 2021 Online.
For me, "Drag the ground" in Expo 2021 was one of those "moments." It's in the company of one or two other such songs, including "39 Music!" as the first song of Mirai 2016. It starts off with a drum beat that works its way inside you, flirting with your heartbeat while nudging it faster, as well as some unsettling, prescient, possibly flute-like synth instrumentals. As virtual light boards bleed into existence behind her, Miku stands in front of us with her eyes closed, wearing a controlled, waiting expression. When the verse starts and the other instruments come in, we can feel some of that built-up tension finally moving, until the chorus, when the instruments drop away and Miku hits the song title in the pre-chorus more or less on her own. Then her voice climbs, then gently sinks, before finally the remaining unresolved tension is given release in a series of pounding guitar riffs, between which she nails the first line of the chorus (the title again) home.
Some time later, when the chorus is at its end, when she looks into the camera and aims a finger gun slightly off to one side (because, of course, she doesn't want to hurt the fans) and jauntily lets the hammer fall with an appropriate sound effect (maybe reminiscent of a starting gun?), it only makes the message clearer. Miku is very often portrayed as cute, moe, maybe even doll-like. But in this moment, she can be represented in another, equally valid way. At this moment, the de facto figurehead of the niche vocal synth culture is nothing less than badass-cool.
"Ray" by BUMP OF CHICKEN
Many of us are probably familiar with "Ray." It is also a number of years old and has been featured in Magical Mirai at least once. However, what I only learned recently was that the Mirai version was different from the original version of the song to an uncommon extent. It seems that the song was originally a duet between Miku and one of the members of the band!
The duet aspect in this song is very appropriate, since the song is about a relationship that, unfortunately, isn't working out. As far as I've heard, at least, duets between vocal synths and humans are also very uncommon, and it makes this song very sweet and gives it a very enjoyable novelty. It's the sort of thing that, as an aspiring producer myself, I'd definitely want to try, if I had a voice I thought would benefit the song. I mean, who would turn down the opportunity to sing with Miku?
"初音ミク" by Azit
I love this artwork. It looks like Miku is backstage doing some final music review before a performance. Meanwhile, what looks like 4 different people are simultaneously working on her--one is brushing her hair, one is painting her nails, one is tying her necktie, and one is doing her makeup. In the midst of all this, Miku is looking away from the sheet music that she's barely able to hold up/see among all the arms, with an apparent feeling I know all too well: "Can I go home now? I just want to work in my DAW...."
" by pino
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