Serena Kozuki (上月せれな) Single Review (Saikyo Melody / Kokuhaku Three Count / Night Jungle War)

We recently had the opportunity to meet with Serena Kozuki (上月せれな) while in Taiwan and we quickly fell in love with her high energy and special brand of Idol music! Bringing attention to artists from Japan to those in the West is one of the stated goals of A-To-J Connections and to that end we're devoting a series of articles to Serena Kozuki beginning with this one!

Serena Kozuki is an indie idol, who has a pretty interesting range of styles. She's released released several singles over the last couple years, and I decided to cover her first three (released under ULTIMATE RECORDS) together in one article.

Saikyo Melody (2014)

Track List
1) Saikyo Melody
2) High Tension Girl
3) nerve
4) Saikyo Melody (Karaoke)
5) High Tension Girl (Karaoke)

The first single is "Saikyo Melody", and it's one that uses a mix of different styles. First up is the title track. When you listen to the track itself you can hear synths buried deep in the mix, but it's the rock instrumentation sticks out more. The production quality here pretty low, but it has a certain charm to it. Definitely the type of song to get hyped to in a live! The first B-side, "High Tension Girl", is super high-energy and fun. I love the song and the video game sound effects used in the mix, it's a cool combo, but not as cool as the second B-side. The third song on this single is a cover of the BiS song "nerve", and one of the best covers I've heard of the song so far. It's a lot faster than the original and the heavy guitars definitely add some depth. Where BiS had multiple voices and a major label budget, Serena Kozuki's version relies more on diverse instrumentation to fill the song out. Once again, my only wish here is for the production to be just a little better, especially on a song that will draw comparisons. That aside, it ends this release on a strong note.

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Saikyo Melody (Live)

High Tension Girl (Live)

nerve (Live)

Kokuhaku Three Count (2014)

Track List
1) Kokuhaku Three Count
2) Hajimete no Chuu
3) Kokuhaku Three Count (Karaoke)

The second single is "Kokuhaku Three Count". The title track itself is fairly basic as far as idol songs go. The production is a bit better this time around, but it's still a little muddy in parts. Other than this one slight aside, the song is good. It's a bouncy and catchy pop single, but maybe the least interesting out of the three singles here that I'm going to talk about here. Don't get me wrong, I still like it though I was left wanting just a little moore. It's certainly a fun song that I'm sure is best witnessed live. The B-side, "Hajimete no Chuu", is a cover of the Tatsuya Kimura (of SMAP) song of the same name. I love Serena's version, it's probably my second favorite (after SCANDAL's cover) of the song that I've ever heard. One thing that sets it apart is the fact that it's so upbeat and cute. Generally versions of this song are pretty slow, but this one throws all that out the window for a high-energy performance that I think I enjoy more than the single track itself.

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Night Jungle War (2015)

Track List
1) Night Jungle War
2) Kamatte Datte!
3) Night Jungle War (Karaoke)
4) Kamatte Datte! (Karaoke)

The third single is "Night Jungle War". The song is a pretty hard rocking song, especially for an idol. It gives off the feeling of something like an indie BiSH song. It's a great song, but the production quality is again pretty low. It's really good though and I'd love to hear it done with better production similar to what she did with "Saikyo no Melody". Don't let that keep you from this amazing song though! The B-side, "Kammate Datte!", is much more standard idol pop. It's pretty cute, and actually seems to have production better than "Night Jungle War". If it were up to me, I'd love to switch those around. I think bouncy, poppy synths like the ones in "Kammate Datte!" would sound pretty cool in a messier mix.

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Night Jungle War (Live)

Kamatte Datte! (Live)

There you have it! Serena Kozuki's first three singles! Be sure to check out her social media for more info on her and keep an eye out for more on her from A-To-J Connections!

-Justin

For More Information:
Blog: http://ameblo.jp/sere7-kozuki/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Serena_Kozuki