Details on 5th MOSAIC.WAV album「吟遊Planet☆AKIBA-POP」

[Update March 2nd 2011] The store is now open for international orders! Get your "Extravagantly Extra-Equipped" Edition NOW!

[original story] Since there has been so much activity from smaller and newer players in the World of Denpa, we haven't been covering MOSAIC.WAV as much for the past couple months. Don't get us wrong: King Kayamori and Queen mi~ko still reign over the Kingdom of Akiba-Pop and we are still their loyal, ever-loving subjects. Very soon, March 9th 2011 to be precise, they will release their long-promoted fifth album 「吟遊Planet☆AKIBA-POP」(Ginyu Planet☆AKIBA-POP), which we first heard about nearly a year ago. There were some delays and a couple pretty cool singles in between, but this time it's for real. Here's the tracklist:

1. Thing！ Think！ Ting！ (new)
2. 印度 a 主義 (インド　ア　イズム) (new)
3. もののあはれ (new)
4. おいしい魔法のサシスセソ (mp3)
5. NAOKO-THUNDER VERNIER II　～幼女期の終わり～ (mp3)
6. きみにおねがい！セキュリティ (mp3) (youtube)
7. たべごろ☆1/2ふるーつ (mp3) (youtube)
8. 悠久想春歌 (new)
9. 脳・内・再・醒～ecphoric dance～ (mp3) (youtube)
10. Next Stage！ ⇒ "Hyperluminal" (new)
11. パペピプPOLIDAY (new)
12. 天体上∇吟遊サテライト (new)
13. FLY-ALONE (mp3) (nicovideo)

There are a number of interesting facts to note from this tracklist alone. First, you'll notice there are SEVEN new songs on this new album, which is far more generous than the 2-3 new tracks we usually get on a new album. On the other hand, they haven't composed that many eroge songs since 2009's 「Superluminal Ж AKIBA-POP」, so they did need to create more new songs to pad out this record. Second, you'll also notice that none of the new songs have samples, clearly they want to keep them as surprises (good on them).

Their selection of "old" songs is really interesting. First of all, #4 「おいしい魔法のサシスセソ」 finally gets a full-length release, four years after its initial release in early 2007. Written by big-bro 小池雅也, this is a ridiculously hyper-active song that brings back the feeling of their first three albums. In fact it might even sound out of place on here (especially for new fans), but you certainly won't hear me complain. #5 is the absolutely brutal 「NAOKO-THUNDER VERNIER II」 which mi~ko told me was a bit of a Gradius homage. I uploaded an English translation video back in December 2008, but unfortunately Youtube pulled the plug on the denpanosekai account last year and I don't have a backup of that video... such a shame.

#6 is the downright hilarious "semen-security" song. That youtube video is censored but still NSFW... and totally worth seeing! As for the song itself, you can find complete impressions on November 2008 report. Yet another tune that totally deserved a full version. #7 and #8 are the OP and ED theme songs to 2008's Musumaker, which we also extensively covered when the single was released at C74. Both tracks are a bit on the soft side but since the single is all but out of press, fans will appreciate the opportunity to revisit these songs.

The last of the "old" songs is just six months old. 「脳・内・再・醒～ecphoric dance～」 came out in September 2010, on a single which included two more songs that likely won't be featured anywhere else. Speaking of which, there's at least one game song which still hasn't been featured on an album. We're talking about 「オコサマオトナナオサナナナ」 which came out in November 2008, almost at the same time as that "semen-security" song. It was an interesting song that featured mi~ko doing three different voices, but somehow it didn't make the cut. Too bad!

Ginyu Planet AKIBA-POP [Limited Edition]

Ginyu Planet AKIBA-POP [Regular Edition]

So now you're completely sold, hyped, hooked and you can't wait to drop some mad cash to acquire this piece of denpa history, right? You're in luck, CDJapan has both the regular (34$) and limited (40$) editions for sale. Better act fast on that limited edition however, it's sure to sell out in no time. What's included in the limited edition? Aside from the long case and different artwork (both on disc and cover), there's also a packed-in light novel, titled 「吟遊サテライト」. But wait, there's more!

REAL fans will want to order the ultra-limited "gorgeous edition" set which includes:

• 「吟遊Planet☆AKIBA-POP」picture CD
• LP picture disc vinyl record
• LP-sized premium poster
• 24bit/96kHz HQM WAV data disc (DVD-ROM)
• A4-sized special booklet (w/ interviews)
• PSP decals
• 「世界の果てで愛ましょう」alternate cover
• 「吟遊サテライト」light-novel
• two cellphone straps

Wow... a MOSAIC.WAV LP record! How about that! That booklet is equally interesting, as it is said to contain interviews, photography and unique illustrations. The data disc has ultra-high quality versions of all new tracks, while the vinyl holds all six "old" songs. Extremely interesting... but can you afford the 6,800円 asking price? If so, head on over to the official MOSAIC.WAV eSTORE and order away. Since they don't ship outside Japan, just use dv8cag.com and tell them denpanosekai.com sent you!

As a final bit of related information, the second MOSAIC.WAV live tour will hit Nagoya, Osaka and Tokyo in April 2011. Head over to the official site for ticket information!