FANDEATH is a collection of songs that have been released through live shows as live limited CD’s and songs that haven’t been released before. This “collection CD” gave the idea that the duo wanted to release a bunch of stuff before closing something off, but the title of the album can be better read as fan desu ((I am) a fan) instead of the death of a GOATBED fan.
Tracklist:
01. 2×2 INTRO (inst)
02. deNUDE
03. T-B-P-T
04. OPENING CEREMONY (inst)
05. DEAD ZEPP
06. 1205 (inst)
07. BUNNY BLADE
08. 可愛いベイベー (Kawaii Baby)
09. MUSK CAT
10. Whodunit Howdunit Whydunit
11. DAMNED THING IN THE RAIN
12. 2×2 OUTRO (inst)
Out of the 12 tracks, 4 are instrumental. But the ones who know GOATBED know that the instrumental tracks are very pleasant to the ears and not boring at all. OPENING CEREMONY is a prime example of this, trying to burst out of your speakers with full force. Below the bombardment of sound, you can hear a speech which has been adjusted. The speech is in English and appears to have a Christian theme, but is so overpowered by the music that you can only make out a few words here and there. At the end, the music reminds me of the soundtrack of an anime – other than DRAMAtical Murder – due to use of the horns. All of this combined makes the instrumental song an interesting one.
The previously released songs on this album have been (partially) rearranged or rerecorded by GOATBED. If you have bought a CD or USB stick with a few tracks during their live shows you’ll definitely hear the difference when you combine both versions. DAMNED THING IN THE RAIN is the only song that is completely new. Even if this song is the proof that GOATBED doesn’t want to let go of DRAMAtical Murder. In 2014 the PS Vita BL game DRAMAtical Murder re:code was released, for which GOATBED has composed a few songs. Among which background music. For one of those songs DAMNED THING IN THE RAIN has been used, a song that only needed vocals. Eventually, this turned into a ballad. T-B-P-T has a connection with DRAMAtical Murder as well, even though you can’t hear it as clearly in this version anymore. In previous versions, you hear the background music featured in the game clearly.
If I look at the release as a whole, FANDEATH only has highlights. None of the songs are a miss, and every single one has earned their place on this album, making it catchy, easy to dance to and easy to sing along to. DEAD ZEPP, BUNNY BLADE, 1205 and Whodunit Howdunit Whydunit have a powerful beat while MUSK CAT and 2×2 OUTRO create the peace on FANDEATH. The lyrics remain very interesting due to the mixture of Japanese and English, but by now every GOATBED fan will be used to this and probably won’t notice it anymore.
GOATBED isn’t GOATBED if there isn’t a cover on the album. 可愛いベイベー (Kawaii Baby) was released as a live-limited single with deNUDE in 2015 and is a cover of Connie Francis’ Pretty Little Baby with Japanese lyrics. The original and Japanese version are both very sweet and calm, while the version made by GOATBED contains a high dosage of techno and has been completely modernized opposed to the version from the 60’s. Both versions are nice to listen to, so GOATBED hasn’t failed here either. deNUDE might be on the cover of the album, but the combination of the bass, half-panting whispering and lyrics give the song a sexy vibe.
The album could only be purchased during live shows of GOATBED (and cali≠gari). The cardboard cover features the body of vocalist Shuuji, who makes no big deal out of displaying his body, and a clear wink to the album covers from Sticky Fingers (1971) from The Rolling Stones and Too Fast for Love (1981) by Mötley Crüe. The album also contains a DVD with 8 tracks which were recorded during a one-man live show on the 4th of December 2015.
FANDEATH shows that the duo, existing out of Shuuji and Yuuji are renewing every single time. They already showed this to their fans through the various singles released during their live shows, but it was a very good move to combine these tracks into one CD and improve them by adding and removing elements. The album van rightfully call itself a great successor to the CD with the long name; The optimist sees the doughnut, the pessimist sees the hole., now it’s up to GOATBED to top FANDEATH. Will they manage? We probably have to wait until next year to answer that question.
Rating: 95/100
