☭ marselip0910 叶俊华™

Release Date 2010/08/18
[Japan Limited Low-priced Edition]
Catalog No. WPCR-13882
Label/Distributor Warner Music Japan


*Advanced Japanese release. Album release from Melee including a Japan-only bonus track "Te o Toriatte (cover of Queen's song)." Produced by Josh Abraham, Jacknife Lee, and more. Includes a description and lyrics.

Bonus Track: Japan-only bonus track "Te o Toriatte (cover of Queen's song)"

「永遠のハーモニー」から3年、美メロの楽曲がぎっしり詰まった、新たな名作が誕生!! リード・シングル「二人のムービー・スクリーン」は「永遠のハーモニー」の続編ともいうべき内容の、美メロ・ラヴ・ソング。 今作から、学業に戻ったマイク・ネイダーからデレク・リーにドラマーが交代している。メジャー・デビュー作『デヴィルズ&エンジェルズ』と比べ、よりエレクトロな風味が増しているのが、今作の特徴。今作への影響は定かではないが、メイン・ソングライターの1人、リッキー・サンズはピチカート・ファイブが大のお気に入りと公言している。前作ではホール&オーツの「ユー・メイク・マイ・ドリームス」をカヴァーしていたが、今作では日本のファンのために、クイーンのカヴァー「手をとりあって」を届けてくれた。プロデュース: ジョシュ・エイブラハム、ジャックナイフ・リー、他。解説・歌詞・対訳付き。日本先行発売。


乐队成员：
• Chris Cron–lead vocals, piano & guitar
• Ricky Sans–guitars, synths & vocals
• Ryan Malloy–bass & vocals
• Derek Rock–drums & vocals

01. The Masquerade 04:03



02. Girls Wanna Rock 02:55
03. On The Movie Screen 03:15
04. The Ballad Of You And I 04:43
05. The World Keeps Turning 03:47
06. Immortal 03:42
07. Wedding Dress 03:20
08. Freeze 04:19
09. What Good Is Love (Without You) 03:49
10. Someday Youll Be A Story 04:29
11. Towers 04:16
12. Teo Torriatte (Queen Cover) 04:56
13. Built To Last (Acoustic Version) 03:34


Review written by: Kate Wieking
Fame has been good to Melee. The band is a radio favorite in Japan and having a fan base seems to have given Melee the courage to brush off any insecurities they may have had and create, in ‘The Masquerade’, an album full of charisma and catchy hooks. Gone, though, are the honest pop melodies and strong piano foundation. This music is still straight pop, but they’ve added lots of dance-like percussion and synth. The goal of this album is to hook you with the incessantly catchy beats and melodies and give you a reason to tap your foot and indulge in this pop/rock party. It’s clear the band had fun making this album and that they want their listeners to have the same.


Most of the songs on ‘The Masquerade’ are classic Melee (just add synth and dance beats) and the album gets off to a stellar start with the first trio of songs. Unfortunately, the band makes several song-writing mistakes later in the album that reveal that the band’s perfection is an illusion perpetuated by frontloading and slick production. That said, the good moments outweigh the bad; “Girls Wanna Rock” shows off a new side of the band with a dance album with a power refrain; “Towers” is a super radio-friendly rock anthem.

The album missteps with the cheap addition of synth and the inescapable hi-hat that seem constructed to make the listener assume the song is supposed to be catchy rather than letting the song do the work itself. When the band does back off and attempt a piano ballad, the songs are hardly up to the band’s potential. “Freeze” fails to engage the listener with an over-simple descending melody and odd non-committal instrumentals.

If you’ll forgive a cheesy review simile, ‘The Masquerade’ feels a bit like an amusement park. Maximum amounts of fun are had, but there are a lot of roller coasters out there and they’re engineered for guaranteed thrills. ‘The Masquerade’ is guaranteed fun, but it all sounds a bit recycled. For most, I doubt that will keep them from hopping aboard and enjoying the ride.