Denpa no Sekai 2011 Sampler

Here we go again! Last year we kicked off the article by taking a look at the Japanese poll, but it seems this year's event was cancelled due to lack of time by the owner (I know that feel, bro). Still, a crying shame when you consider that this website held polls every year since 2003. Here's hoping someone takes over for 2012. However, that still leaves the 2ch 2011 Eroge Poll with a few Denpa picks, but mostly total domination from KOTOKO, Duca and of course 榊原ゆい. Here's the video compilation on Nicovideo.

So, short of having a Japanese top 10 to compare with, we thought we'd invite a Japanese writer to give his comments on our picks! Introducing our good buddy mossya, who's been a fan for quite some time. He contributes to a great blog (take-subの日記) on which he posts his M3/Comiket gets, as well as multiple MoeElectroDenpa mixes which are quite popular. Obviously this guy knows what's up so Mandi and I are glad to have him on board. That said, here's our 2011 sampler!

Title:	ろり☆ぱら! (opening song)
Singers:	天城あくる & ココ & mega
Composer:	ちゃぼ
Album:	ちびロリっ！
Released:	M3-2011春
Comments:	denpanosekai: Zero-Shaft had a tremendous year and really, any of their ロリっ！ songs could have been a contender. This one just happened to have a nice intro and ココ on vocals, which is always a big plus. mandichan: The dark humor of the lyrics balances out the cuteness of the vocals. A fun song that makes a good representative for the series as a whole. mossya: ロリっ！ソングに定評のあるZero-Shaft。完全合法です！2011年、素晴らしい企画力と物凄い作曲量で萌電波ソングを量産してくださいました！納得の一位です。この曲に関しては何より語りが致死的ですね！ココさんに罵られたい！お兄ちゃんとか呼ばれたい！！！ほああああ！！！！

Title:	電波LOVE～でんぱあいす～
Singer:	ちぃむｄｍｐ☆
Composer:	さつき が てんこもり
Album:	電波LOVE～でんぱあいす～
Released:	C80
Comments:	denpanosekai: Another year, another big album for the beautiful ちぃむｄｍｐ☆ girls. How will they be able to top this one in 2012? Time will tell! In the meantime, they've also released a couple of drama albums which are also worth checking out. This song was composed by Lord Satsuki and nicely conveys the feeling of a playful day at the beach. mandichan: ちぃむｄｍｐ☆ has been a blessing for denpa fans, continuing the welcome trend of original denpa groups, as opposed to those focused on Touhou or other derivative works. mossya: 桃箱さん＋愛原圭織さんのユニット。作曲はさつき先生！いつもよりキラキラしてます。歌詞もきゅんきゅいで素晴らしいですね。作詞は七色ビタミンのちなさん！このアルバムには"らじおONAIR♪"って曲も入ってるけど、桃箱さんのラジオはM-waveで金曜夜８時からです！ネットでも聴けるよ！(桃箱のmofumofuらじお)

Title:	なめこのうた
Singer:	おでんぱ☆スタジオ
Composer:	ベイビー・レモネード
Album:	ろりーたプラネット★ミ
Released:	C81
Comments:	denpanosekai: After a collaboration with とろ美, おでんぱ☆スタジオ didn't skip a beat and released a new single featuring 井上みゆ. We went with this one because they released a PV along with it, but it also highlights BB.Lemonade's unique style. mandichan: This song can and will get stuck in your head! Just be careful about singing it in public! These guys have some of the wildest lyrics I've ever heard. mossya: 性的ですね！！！所謂キャラメルダンセン的なループ→廃人コースの電波ソング！なめこを知らない海外の人がこのPVをみたら発狂しますね。知ってても発狂しました！！！最近のアルバムはゲストボーカルも豪華だけど、トラックのクオリティも高くて素晴らしいです。

Title:	オシエテスキシテ♥773
Singer:	白石なごむ
Composer:	きくお
Game:	ナナミの教えてEnglish DS ～めざせTOEIC®TESTマスター
Released:	February 2011
Comments:	denpanosekai: 白石なごむ and きくお are a dream team in my eyes, so here's hoping songs like this (and the ones featured on 『ぱらのいあ☆らヴ』) are just the beginning. The gratuitous abuse of the はいはいはい singalong is pure icing on the cake. mandichan: Nagomu is great, and this song makes a fine introduction to her currently unfortunately small library of music. I would love to hear this one live! mossya: マジでもっと評価されるべきユニット！！！でも一般受けしづらいのもなんとなく分かるのです。むっちゃ濃いからね！やっぱエロゲとかとタイアップしつつも今まで通り商業主義に絡めとられない曲を作り続けてほしいですね。応援してます！

Title:	飛び出せ! Sweet Sweet Magic☆
Singer:	ななひら
Composer:	nana(sevencolors)
Album:	プチリズムさん！
Released:	C80
Comments:	denpanosekai: Not really familiar with nana(sevencolors) as a composer, but when samples for this album were first released, I remember being blown away by the opening track! Of course with ななひら on vocals, you're in for an out-of-this-world experience. The プチリズム had two great albums this year (as well as a re-release of the first one) so that's a lot of songs to choose from, but this one was a no-brainer. mandichan: As always, this series is full of memorable songs, making it tough to chose. The arrangement builds up well and showcases Nanahira's voice to its fullest. mossya: プチリズムシリーズは神…！

Title:	Future Diver
Singer:	でんぱ組.inc
Composer:	小池雅也
Arranger:	前山田健一
Album:	ねぇきいて？宇宙を救うのは、きっとお寿司…ではなく、でんぱ組.inc！
Released:	November 2011
Comments:	denpanosekai: Perhaps what I like most about でんぱ組.inc is that they bring a human dimension to denpa songs. The girls are real and in-your-face, which is not something you can get from your favourite doujin vocalist. It's been a long road to the debut full album, but it was worth it! Having 小池雅也 and 前山田健一 on board kinda helps, too. mandichan: Although Dempagumi.inc has been around for a while, this year it feels they finally really came together as a group. I'm glad that they finally released an album so those who can't come see them live can join in the fun... but if you have the chance, come see them, or at least check out their newly released live DVD! mossya: 2011年はアイドルが日本の一般社会で市民権を得た年でしたが、それでもでんぱ組がオタク的なアンダーグラウンド感を保って活動しているのには好感が持てますね。この曲をAKBが歌ったとしても決して電波ソングには為り得ないのです！！！

Title:	オンナのコって♪マジ☆超えんじぇる!!
Singers:	あべにゅうぷろじぇくと feat. 佐倉紗織 & 白沢理恵
Composer:	どれちゅ
Anime:	快盗天使 ツインエンジェル
Released:	August 2011
Comments:	denpanosekai: Not sure what can be said about ave;new projecto that hasn't been said already. どれちゅ has this formula down to a science, even though we've been seeing more and more experimentation lately. While somewhat more "traditional", this Twin Angel OP is still absolutely insane and great primer material for those new to the genre. mandichan: I would prefer to feature 気まぐれ?つんでれ～た～, but me and denpanosekai couldn't see eye to eye on that one. Still, this one is fun, especially live when you can chant "Kyun Kyun Tokimeki Paradise!" Plus it marks ave;new project's first anime single.

Title:	two of us～姉さん、それは事件です～
Singer:	doubleeleven UpperCut (akari)
Composer:	山下航生
Album:	NUMBERS!! -Do you like Upper Cut?? 3!!-
Released:	C80
Comments:	denpanosekai: Love these guys! Pedal to the metal, one album after the other! Now they've even started focusing on live concerts, which is a rare feat considering 100% of their songs are eroge OP material. mandichan: Fun spoken lines sprinkled in pump up this relatively calm (hey, i said RELATIVELY) production from deUC! mossya: deUCの電波ソングはホントにライプで聴きたい感じのが多いですね。煽りがまじパナイ！この曲もそうで、イントロの合いの手とかのあざとさといったら！！歌詞も結構アレですがエロゲソングはやっぱこうじゃなきゃっていう。

Title:	ヒャダインのじょーじょーゆーじょーで
Singer:	ヒャダイン
Anime:	日常
Released:	August 2011
Comments:	denpanosekai: You might be surprised to see Hyadain pop up in a denpa sampler, but you have to admit this song is insane. I've had nothing but respect for this guy ever since he started releasing his video game remixes on youtube sometime ago. These wild anthems were really a form of denpa, if you think about it. Not to mention the whole female/male dual vocals thing... mandichan: Hard to resist the temptation to feature a male vocalist, lots of shock element there. Impressive how he can make such wacky songs and still come off as a "cool" guy. He's awesome in my book, and so is this song. (And Nichijou!) mossya: 上のでんぱ組.incの曲もそうだけど、2011年は前山田さんがむちゃくちゃ強かったですね。トラックもいいけど、ヒャダインの場合はピッチ編集で男でも電波ソングを歌えるんだ！歌っていいんだ！っていうのを示した功績も大きいと思いますｗ早速"ARM子"とかフォロアーが生まれてるしｗ

Title:	えっへん≦(￣^￣)≧どやどす天狗自慢
Artist:	MOSAIC.WAV
Album:	えっへん≦（￣^￣）≧どやどす？天狗自慢
Released:	C81
Comments:	denpanosekai: The Giants of Denpa strike again with a wonderful Uju theme song! These are always deliciously over-the-top and this year's edition is no different. They had a solid album earlier in the year, as well as a fantastic "best of" album with some sweet new songs... but this is their wildest stuff yet! mandichan: MOSAIC.WAV is still keeping their Uju themes fresh while keeping them (somewhat) unified in sound. I love the smug looking emoticon in the title to match the "Doya!" theme!

Title:	なむ×きゅん
Singers:	とろ美 & きこうでんみさ
Composer:	ARM
Album:	なむ×きゅん CD
Released:	C80 (DVD), C81 (CD)
Comments:	denpanosekai: Here's some math for you: 仏教 + IOSYS + とろ美 ＝ 電波!! It doesn't get any simpler than this! With Jester Misa by their side, Queen Toromi and Lord ARM rule the World of Denpa with an iron fist. We're not worthy! This blood-pumping hymn is quite memorable, but make sure you check out the CD for even more. mandichan: A worthy sequel to Ryohoji's previous theme. I just hope Toromi doesn't forget all about making her own original songs too!

Title:	ゆるしてあげないもん (ending song)
Artist:	U
Album:	ULTRA☆U -GALAXY-
Released:	September 2011
Comments:	denpanosekai: U has had a pretty big comeback in late 2011, let's just hope she won't make us wait so long for another album! Her unique voice and innate songwriting ability usually translates into timeless classics. I still remember quite vividly her 2005 songs as if I heard them yesterday and I'm quite confident this album will have the same effect! mandichan: This year we were truly blessed to have a new album release from U, as well as have her make lots of great songs for others. Although her works for the anime probably YuruYuri received more exposure than her solo works, it's her solo stuff that will always be best to me.

Honourable Mentions

denpanosekai's picks ※ 天然ジェミニ - お月見うどんてゐ! ※ cello - 通称！デンパリ娘 ※ nanano - 小町ちゃんの超すごい三途の川ツアー ※ 月葉 - じゃあ僕もう二度寝の歌作り増すよ! ※ BeatMario+ARM - ゆめゆめよめめ

mandichan's picks ※ 桃井はるこ - ジェットスマッシュ! ※ ave;new feat.白沢理恵 - 気まぐれ？つんでれ～た～ ※ おいでよ!妖精の森 - gdgd妖精s ※ Os-宇宙人 - エリオをかまってちゃん ※ 33.turbo - uta-oh

mossya's picks ※ しゅな(藤森ゆき奈＆上田朱音) - 恋向聴 ※ リズナ - Sakuramichi Overdrive ※ Chia - 幽谷ラップ!おはよーごじゃいます! ※ ココ - Subconscious Trip ※ メトロポリちゃんV - てゐのデート大決戦脳内戦略会議室!!

Top 3 most underrated and overlooked denpa albums of 2011

So many great albums were released in 2011, but not all of them seemed to capture the attention they deserve. Although one would think that releasing outside of Comiket is a great way to avoid the massive overflow of new albums, it's not always that simple. Case in point, these three following albums are pure denpa crack but somehow they ended up flying under most people's radar. If you missed out on these, it's not too late as we have international purchase links for two of them, and the third can be obtained easily enough at upcoming doujin events.

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Released on February 2nd 2011, 『ぱらのいあ☆らヴ』 is the fantastic debut mini-album from 白石なごむ (SHIRAISHI Nagomu). Its greatness comes from various factors that were explored in our original article, but a couple constituents bear a deeper significance. First of all, 白石なごむ clearly demonstrates a strong expertise of her vocal folds, exploring multiple ranges and tempos. This is evident in 「人畜N系パラノイド」 where she hits multiple high notes with ease and delivers charming vibrato effortlessly. At the same time, she knows exactly what her fans desire and understands precisely what denpa-moe songs are made of. She's more than happy to play along and perform silly nekoneko role-playing for our enjoyment.

Complementary to her strong vocal performance, we have good guy きくお entirely composing the album. The pair is a match made in heaven, thanks to his dynamic themes dictating direction and meticulous craftsmanship enhancing her voice. Although only having been a full-time musician for about 5 years now, きくお has developed a rather unique style which focuses on high-tension percussion (borderline drum'n'bass in some instances), providing the backdrop to charmingly retro soundscapes jam-packed with quirky and catchy melodies.

As it stands (and despite this article title), 『ぱらのいあ☆らヴ』 is not exclusively a denpa album. きくお does compose a large number of denpa songs and frequently appears on moe compilations such as the プチリズム series. 白石なごむ herself is a major 桃井はるこ fan and even sent us a tweet one day to tell us she loves denpa songs and hoped to sing many in the future! It's safe to say that this album is a sure-fire get for any denpa fan looking for something a bit more on the idol-kei side, with a hefty dose of goofiness. [order on CDJapan now]

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Satsuki, where are you?

さつき が てんこもり (Satsuki ga Tenkomori) needs absolutely no introduction on this website. Not only has he created many memorable denpa songs, he has even provided us with a mini-interview and frequently namedrops 電波の世界 to his 13,000 twitter followers. Although the doujin realm remains his main playground, he has dabbled with major scene activities, reaching new heights in September 2011 with the release of his first full-length album 『ニコ生モラルハザード』.

Despite being released on such a high-profile label as dmARTS, all of Satsuki's creations retain the zaniness and jocularity that made him a household name in the first place. No punches were pulled with the lyrics and overall themes, in fact strong performances from Hamar, ゆづか姫 and みかりん* inject a far greater sense of personality than originally anticipated. Whether or not ななひら and/or kana should have been included in some capacity is a legitimate question, but at least かめりあ and y0c1e have cameos!

Bottomline is that this is a Satsuki album and that fact alone warrants a permanent place in your collection. The six new songs are delicious and tailor-made for their respective vocalists. Just like きくお beforehand, Satsuki has crafted a distinct sonority with deep groovy bass supporting high-strung harmonies, the perfect vehicle for humorous libretto performed by lovely damsels. [order on CDJapan now]

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In mid-October 2011, PARANOIA PARADOX released a surprise 100% denpa album based on ZUN's eternal creation. Now, while touhou denpa albums aren't exactly rare, they were actually few and far between in 2011. As we previously reported, there were a number of factors which also helped set 『ぱらのいあぱらどくちゅ』 apart. Behind the scene is composer and circle owner いたちま who provided 7 hyperactive and openly denpa arranges. His work here is upbeat and catchy, laced with powerful arpeggios and frequent Famison-like pulses. However, the album still has overtones of his main trance/electro techniques, which makes for a fair bit of crossover appeal.

Vocalists-wise, various performers are involved and each of them deliver flawless performances in their own capacity. Obviously the big story is that this compilation has the first Touhou arrange performance from the eclectic メトロポリちゃんV. As expected of her personality, her voice is resplendent and endearing, so let's hope for a lot more appearances in the future. The other vocalists are just as captivating, including 桜ふみ, 愛空アキハ, 佳織みちる, かごめＰ and 田川まゆみ. Even いたちま provides some rather unique vocals at some point!

It all comes together splendidly, yet 『ぱらのいあぱらどくちゅ』 did not seem to achieve comparable levels of hype within the (admittedly small) denpa community. Fans of Holic Service, Birdtune and denpa-oriented IOSYS songs definitely need to snap this up. It also comes with a full-color 16 page illustration book from 雪月佳. In the end it was a really considerate and surprising move from PARANOIA PARADOX to take this crazy denpa thing seriously and release a full album, not just a single throwaway song on one of their many "serious" albums.

Under the scope: Otaku Supernova 白石なごむ

I'm chargin mah denpa songs!!!!

白石なごむ (SHIRAISHI Nagomu) is a cute up-and-coming idol singer with a bit of a denpa twist. Late last year, she got in touch with us over twitter to confess her love for the genre! This immediately put her into our "must check out" list, but she didn't have many songs at the time. Four months later, she has two game theme songs and a debut mini-album with five songs... guess it's time for another one of our "Under the scope" features!

We'll get to her songs in a moment, but first let's check out her profile. Turns out she's a HUGE "momoist" (religious follower of 桃井はるこ) and no doubt you'll see the influence in her vocal style. But more interestingly is that Miss Nagomu is (was?) in charge of the "love.exe★" events, where the Queen of Akiba is celebrated through dance, song and general drunken festiveness. The official site has a ton of awesome pictures and videos. But wait! These great events don't stop at Momoi adulation: Kotoko and 田村ゆかり are also popular choices. The site even has links to MOSAIC.WAV and ave;new projecto... that says a lot! A LOT.

Behind every successful singer lies a great producer, and Nagomu can count on きくお to write great melodies upon which she can lay her pretty voice. He has composed all of her seven songs so far, which explains the consistency and apposition between all of them. He seems to have nailed the perfect balance of 電波ソング and 萌えソング which enhances her unique style. Let's not forget he is also behind some of the best songs on 「プチリズムＣＨＵ」 where he was paired with kana and ひなうち. But the man is also highly versatile and can compose some dark stuff as well, if his first solo album 「夢の鐘」 is any indication. Take a moment to lookup his extensive worklist and you might be surprised at what you'll find there!

Paranoia Love 「ぱらのいあ☆らヴ」

SHIRAISHI Nagomu (白石なごむ)

Back to Nagomu, she released her debut mini-album in early February 2011. It contains the five following original songs, along with requisite karaoke versions (tracks 6-10). There are no official sites or samplers, but we managed to dig up a few videos. Like what you hear below? Then click the album cover and you can buy it directly from CDJapan!

1. ねこっねこ☆どり~みんぐ♪NIGHT
2. 独占☆モエQ!?恋ゴコロ!
3. ちらLOVE★ぱれっと~覗いちゃダメ!なの!~
4. ぴゅあえむEND♪~はぁはぁしてもイイですか・・~
5. 人畜N系パラノイド

Track #1「ねこっねこ☆どり~みんぐ♪NIGHT」is lovely, carefree, lighthearted... break out the thesaurus! The background music is catchy and groovy... and Nagomu really does sound like a cat! Great new song and a solid opening track for a debut album. Unfortunately this video ends quite abruptly, guess you'll have to buy the album to hear the rest!

「独占☆モエQ!?恋ゴコロ!」 is the second track on the CD, but it was also initially released in July 2010 on the compilation album 「TOgether SONGS Neo girls 2010」 which features a plethora of upcoming talent. For a debut song, it's certainly eccentric and borderline experimental. It could also draw in fans of technopop!

「イツドコ！？らぶ☆リンクdeゴーゴーゴー！！！」was her first commercial song, OP theme to TEATIME's 3D-online eroge 「らぶデス５５５！」. There's good driving bass and passionate vocals in this strong pop song. Just watch out for the pigeon gang rape scene!

Finally we have「オシエテスキシテ♥」which is the very latest song from the duo. This was composed as the opening theme song for Nintendo DS game Nanami’s Teach English DS: Aim to be a Toeic Test Master and since it isn't even out yet, there's no way they could have included it on the CD. It's a shame, because this song is dangerously denpa and we here at 電波の世界 are hopeful it's an indication of things to come from them. Perhaps they will pull a MOSAIC.WAV and start releasing albums with their "commercial" songs included. HAI HAI HAI HAI HAI HAI!!!!

Want more Nagomu? Here are some great live shots from the recent 『TogetherLIVE2011』 event, where she performed alongside 森永まみ, 桃杏める, キャンディーGO!GO! and even more ridiculously pretty idol singers. Things are definitely on an upswing for her career and we'll be covering her every move from now on!