Merry - NOnsenSe MARkeT

[MikuKun 83]

                                           Merry - Nonsense Market

                                          Is the nonsense worth going to the market to buy the album?            

 

 

 

Hello everyone! My name is Miku and I love Japanese music! I don't have time to write much about this release but I will say a couple thing's, I really like Merry, I think they do an amazing job of keeping thing's interesting without overdoing it too much. This album is very diverse in my opinion and I like that very much, there is allot on this album that I love but one thing I would like to point out and  shine some light on is the fantastic guitar work on this album, I have stated in previous review's that one of the thing's I look for when finding something to listen to and one of the thing's that keep's me interested in the band and album is the guitar work. Merry hasn't slouched on interesting guitar melodies in any of their releases and this album is no exception, they really have some amazing and catchy guitar hook's. The vocalist is always very good and on this album he is amazing as usual, he has a very nice vocal range and he show's it throughout this album! The bass and drum work is also done very well on this album! All in all I really enjoyed Nonsense Market and would highly recommend the album to anyone who is into Japanese rock but like's some flare in their music!  

 

 

     All in all I personally give this album a   (Highly recommended)

      Merry Nonsense Market is a very good album, try downloading the album and see what you think, I personally really enjoyed the album and would highly recommend you give it a try! 

 

    This has been Miku thank you for reading!

     -MikuKun

[mopkins 42]

pretty much the only thing I don't like about this album is the placement of 'gunjou' as the final track

 

it was a weak single, and it's even weaker as a closer

[evilcoconut 109]

Actually really enjoyed this album for the most part. The 9mm comparison is obvious though lol. But it's better than what they've been doing, so I ain't complaining. 

 

Only irritants were the pointlessly noisy 自意識過剰型木偶人間 and 群青 is weak.

 

Hide and Seek and the title track were probably my favorites after one listen anyway.

[Seimeisen 4406]

I actually really like 群青, but I really don't understand why they chose to end the album with that song. It makes no sense, pun not intended, and it awkwardly makes the album feel unfinished. It's like the band needs to take a class on track list arrangements or something. It would have been better to take out the a cappella chorus from the beginning, maybe place it between Carnival and Station 07, and give us a new song that would be more appropriate to end the album.

[nitta 175]

hide and seek is very nice

[*littlelamb 78]

I think they probably put 群青 as the final track, because they wanted to end the album on a positive note. The lyrics of that song carry a lot of meaning. It's about staying hopeful through bad times, and even though it was written 2.5 years ago, it definitely applies to Merry right now as well. Tetsu made a comeback to play one song in their Jan 2nd live and that was the song they decided to play. So I think it's exactly where it should be on the album, because it's essentially a positive song unlike all the others.

As for the album, I love it. It's not perfect, but that's kind of what I love about Merry. They're best when they don't try too hard and just do what they want without any pressure. They've never been about making some fine art, since they're a punk band at heart. They just make catchy songs with original melodies that are fun to perform live and that you can listen to 1000 times without getting bored. Even though I enjoyed Beautiful Freaks as well (this is my favourite band for a reason) it did feel a bit "airbrushed" and muddled with too much distortion. It was missing that edge that really makes it interesting and now it's back! And even though I love Yuu, BF was almost all him and I was really missing songs by the other members. This time it's 4.5 tracks by Yuu, 4 by Nero, 2.5 by Tetsu, 1 by Kenichi and 2 by Merry as a whole. And that adds so much to the variety of styles!

Favourite songs:

暗闇にピンク - I can't tell you how much I've missed listening to Kenichi play his own cool melodies in my left ear, so I was positively ecstatic hearing this song. Truth be told, if I had to pick my 10 favourite Merry songs ever, then most of them would probably be by Kenichi and this might even make the list. One of their best songs in while. The vocals are great too.

Unreachable Voice - This song doesn't really sound like Merry, but I mean that in a good way. It shows their versatility. It's very calming, yet not boring at all. It's all in the details. Just sounds classy and really highlights how beautiful Gara's voice is.

Zombie Paradise ～地獄の舞踏曲～ - Listening to the previews I thought I was gonna hate this song, but it turned out to be one of my favourites. It's just super cool somehow and sounds so very Tetsu.

Hide-and-seek - Can't say no to surf rock Merry! I mean 哀しみブルートレイン is the song that got me hooked on this band in the first place, so yes, I love it.

千代田線デモクラシー - It's punky, it's retro and it's silly. Just like Merry. I always approve of the accordion.

Carnival - Might have been higher on the list if I hadn't already listened to it a thousand times when it first came out. One of their best songs recently. Nero's been quite prolific lately and I like it.

NOnsenSe MARkeT - Not my favourite on the album, but a good song nonetheless. I like the lyrics and the PV is amazing. And yes, you are supposed to read NO SMART in the title and NO ART in the intro track title, in case anyone's wondering.  

I don't do stars, but all in all I really enjoy this album and feel it was worth the wait. Feels like we got what one might call the old Merry back. I also like the album art, which is flowers made out of dead mice and rats (snake food from the pet shop that is). It goes together with the whole zombie theme of Merry coming back from the dead.

I also love the bonus CD, because I love acoustic Merry and have been hoping to have some on a CD since forever. I think acoustic arrangements really highlight how good Merry's songwriting is. It's not reliant on special effects. The melodies can stand on their own, which is something that is sorely lacking in modern rock music IMHO. The fluttering guitars on Kanaria are just genius. I also thought all the live tracks sound great and I prefer the one of 群青 to the one on the album. Screams of the Dark is also a nice bonus. What a fun song!   


Oh and I've read the comparison to 9mm Parabellum Bullet in several threads now and I don't get where it's come from all of a sudden. The only thing these bands have in common is that they both derive from old retro styles and combine that with modern punkrock (which is actually why I used to be a fan of 9mm too). However, Merry had already branded "retrock" before 9mm even existed and still manage to churn out original songs 13 years later, whereas 9mm has been making the same song over and over again since about their second album. I actually own Termination, but have lost interest in them a long time ago now, since they keep repeating themselves and that's my pet peeve when it comes to bands. Not that this matters anyway, since I never thought these bands sound alike. Just had to get that off my chest.

[Tokage 5930]

The 9mm comparison probably comes from the whole 'guitar noodling' thing. At least, that's how I've always understood it.

 

Anyway, album was sadly disappointing for me. I think I only really 'loved' the title track, Carnival, 暗闇にピンク and 千代田線デモクラシー..

[nekkichi 6042]

Tetsu made a comeback to play one song in their Jan 2nd live and that was the song they decided to play.

is there a backstory on him leaving/not leaving the band? I missed this.

[hitsuji-hime 211]

is there a backstory on him leaving/not leaving the band? I missed this.

He injured himself during a live.

[Jigsaw9 6783]

And even though I love Yuu, BF was almost all him and I was really missing songs by the other members. This time it's 4.5 tracks by Yuu, 4 by Nero, 2.5 by Tetsu, 1 by Kenichi and 2 by Merry as a whole. And that adds so much to the variety of styles!

 

Thanks for the review! Made me wanna re-try the album actually, heh (I think it's decent but only compared to the lacklustre previous album). If you don't mind me asking, could you please list who wrote which song? I'm always interested in details like this.

[Pretsy 1343]

The 9mm comparison probably comes from the whole 'guitar noodling' thing. At least, that's how I've always understood it.

 

Anyway, album was sadly disappointing for me. I think I only really 'loved' the title track, Carnival, 暗闇にピンク and 千代田線デモクラシー..

MERRY always had a thing for "guitar noodling" though, so I highly doubt that 9mm comparisons stem from such petty detail.

 

Edit: Pardon for my previous rant, I forgot to check out on acoustic versions...

[Furik 832]

As i've stated before, I am absolutely in love with the album. To be completely honest in my own opinion, it's their best album since 2006's Peep Show. There's so much diversity. At times it harkens back to Gendai stoic (ZERO, Hide and Seek) and Modern garde (Carnival, Nonsense Market) and they try new stuff (Zombie Paradise). 

 

I had high hopes for the album - ever since ZERO was released as a single. I knew it was going to be great and a step up from Beautiful Freaks. The high energy and signature jazz/funk/punk was extremely present in the song. The album proves they were taking things a lot more seriously and digging into their back catalog for any sort of enlightenment. 

 

Every member is up to par. Especially Gara. His voice is incredible as ever and doesn't try to do that "Kyo growl" like on that one single from Beautiful Freaks.  

 

What makes the album even more special is the bonus acoustic CD. I knew they could pull off acoustic work but this really blew me away. In some tracks, especially Unreachable Voice, it almost seems like Gara tries to rap. 

 

I don't really know what else to say. I know so far a lot of people seem to find the release dull and boring but I do not. I feel it's an extremely pleasing release that redeemed them - for me anyway as their last few albums made me lose touch with them. In my opinion it's safe to say that I will be continuing to love them even more.

 

8/10

[*littlelamb 78]

is there a backstory on him leaving/not leaving the band? I missed this.

 

He suffered a spinal cord injury to his neck thanks to a stage diver in late 2013, so he hasn't been able to perform. Still going through rehabilitation, but he has been a part of their studio activities and plays the bass for all the songs on the album.

 

 

Thanks for the review! Made me wanna re-try the album actually, heh (I think it's decent but only compared to the lacklustre previous album). If you don't mind me asking, could you please list who wrote which song? I'm always interested in details like this.

 

I would definitely give it a few listens and some time. It may just be me, but their best songs have always been a bit slow to reveal themselves. Honestly, I was disappointed when I heard the previews, but as crazy as it may sound that just gave me a good feeling about this album.

 

As for the credits...

 

iNtO the mARkeT --- Yuu

NOnsenSe MARkeT --- Merry (started with the lyrics)

「東京」 --- Yuu

自意識過剰型木偶人間 --- Yuu, Tetsu

ZERO -ゼロ- --- Nero

暗闇にピンク --- Kenichi

Hide-and-seek --- Yuu

Zombie Paradise ～地獄の舞踏曲～ --- Tetsu

Carnival --- Nero

Station 07 --- Nero

千代田線デモクラシー --- Nero

梟 --- Tetsu

Unreachable Voice --- Yuu

群青 --- Merry

[Jigsaw9 6783]

Thanks a lot! Quite a diverse album composer-wise, I dig that. Never seen so many Nero songs in one place, haha.

 

And I will be sure to re-listen! Merry are one of those old-old-old faves of mine, so there's always something good I can find in their music. ^^

[evilcoconut 109]

That's interesting about Yuu. The composition used to be more equal between him and Kenichi. It's kinda wow that the latter only has one song here and what, none on BF?

[*littlelamb 78]

That's interesting about Yuu. The composition used to be more equal between him and Kenichi. It's kinda wow that the latter only has one song here and what, none on BF?

 

Yes, there hasn't been a single Kenichi song since under-world, unless I'm totally forgetting something. Not sure why, lack of inspiration I guess. He used to make the most out of the box original songs IMO, so it's a shame.

 

 

BTW, were there always English subtitles for NOnsenSe MARkeT on Youtube? Because I only just discovered them myself by accidentally clicking the subtitle button. Now that's a first!

[nekkichi 6042]

BTW, were there always English subtitles for NOnsenSe MARkeT on Youtube? Because I only just discovered them myself by accidentally clicking the subtitle button. Now that's a first!

apparently FWD does very occasional subtitling (arche trailer and tabula rasa DVD promo from 1 year ago also have them, but nothing on revelation of mankind PV for example)

[Tokage 5930]

MERRY always had a thing for "guitar noodling" though, so I highly doubt that 9mm comparisons stem from such petty detail.

 

Edit: Pardon for my previous rant, I forgot to check out on acoustic versions...

Yeah, I know, so I have no actual idea what further causes the comparisons, but that's the best I could think of..

[Seimeisen 4406]

[header]MERRY - NOnsenSe MARkeT[/header]

 

[header]Rating: | Who (or what) is MERRY? ... THIS is MERRY:[/header]

01. iNtO the mARkeT 08. Zombie Paradise ～地獄の舞踏曲～ 02. NOnsenSe MARkeT 09. Carnival 03. 東京 10. Station 07 04. 自意識過剰型木偶人間 11. 千代田線デモクラシー 05. ZERO -ゼロ- 12. 梟 06. 暗闇にピンク 13. Unreachable Voice 07. Hide-and-seek 14. 群青

If anyone asked me about MERRY, I would show them “NOnsenSe MARkeT.” This is the definitive MERRY album! Not only is this album representative of MERRY as a whole, it pulls off quite a few things that don’t commonly work in Visual Kei. From the very first tracks, “iNtO the MARkeT” and “NOnsenSe MARkeT,” we have: an introduction that segues beautifully into the second track, beautiful acoustic guitars that don’t sound too poppy and in fact, add to the atmosphere (You’ll hear more in “Unreachable Voice”), and we get some fine-tuning and maturing of their previous sound from (the less than stellar received) “Beautiful Freaks.”

This album is full of throwbacks to their past styles, giving us some “現代ストイック” (Generation Stoic) vibes, a few “M.E.R.R.Y.” vibes, a little bit from “nuケミカルレトリック” (nu chemical rhetoric), and so on, while ultimately refining the sound of their previous effort. In Visual Kei, it’s not uncommon for a throwback or continuation to yield something stale, or perhaps “uninspired,” and perhaps that continued sound becomes another on the long list of (unwritten) definitions for that… “G” word (generic). But on this album, MERRY manages to show remnants of their past while keeping things fresh.

In Visual Kei, it also seems uncommon for bands to modify a recent sound for the better. If you didn’t like “Beautiful Freaks,” do not turn away from this album. The songs on this album are much more interesting and engaging, and the overall “package” is more cohesive.

One thing that contributes to the greatness of each song is the flow of the tracklist, and hearing each song in the midst of another. When I first heard “ZERO -ゼロ-” in late 2013, I completely dismissed it, despite instantly falling in love with the previous single “梟” (Owl), but hearing that song on this album made it a more enjoyable one. Although I will say, that pseudo-reggae break in the middle of the song had me cringing.

Let’s talk about Hide-and-Seek for a bit. It’s got a ‘surf-meets-’60’s jazz club’ kind of vibe, with emphasis on the jazz club, all the way down to the way all the instruments were equalised in production (just for this song); it sounds a bit like a live recording that took place at a jazz club. The song is also a rare example of how you can create one song, that can remind the listener of another (SID’s “妄想日記”), without it sounding like a carbon copy or ripoff.

Some more honourable mentions include the segment of the album from “暗闇にピンク” (Pink in the Dark) to “Carnival.” These are just damn fun songs, and overall give a similar kind of vibe. These songs are essentially the party of the album, especially “Zombie Paradise ～地獄の舞踏曲～” (Tango from Hell). After the party ends, you go to “Station 07” and take a train home… the rest of the album still has some energy, but it effectively winds down. And “千代田線デモクラシー” (Chiyoda Line Democracy) is just catchy as fuck, with the melody and that accordion.

I am about to eat my words about one song…

I thought that the album ending with “群青” (Aquamarine) was going to be bizarre, and leave the album unfinished. But when I read @*littlelamb’s comment about the song having a strong message to stay positive and hopeful, I kept an open mind. “群青” as an ending is not as bizarre as you may think. It does give you that sort of “to be continued…?” feeling, but it doesn’t feel wrong. It doesn’t leave you frustratingly thinking “where’s the last track??!!,” but instead, it leaves you anticipating MERRY’s next chapter. It’s saying, “this is where we’ll stop… for now. In the mean time, keep your head up!”

Every time I listen to the album, it doesn’t feel all that “experimental,” but in hindsight after listening, there are quite a few things that I can think of that would count as “experimental.” So maybe this album does have those moments, such as the Halloween dance track “Zombie Paradise ～地獄の舞踏曲～,” and the vintage sounding “Station 07” - “千代田線デモクラシー,” but the album isn’t scattered, or disjointed. The album is very cohesive and the tracklist flows quite nicely.

Honestly, I am highly impressed by this album, and am already considering it my favourite MERRY album. While I can’t say I’ve listened to a single album in their back catalogue as much as I have this one, I see this turning out to be their most memorable. If you want some material from a band that’s been around for awhile that can say “yeah, we still got it!,” listen to this album! If you’ve heard of MERRY, but haven’t really been engaged into their sound, listen to this album! If you’re new to Visual Kei, and wanna try out another cool band, listen to this album!