BAND-MAID First Hit vs. First Self-Written | 'Thill' vs. 'Alone' | Musician Reaction + Analysis 

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FYI...during interviews, the ladies stated that even though their early songs were not originals, they still had input into the crafting of the music. They said that they would not have done a song if it was not to their standard. "THRILL" has the Band-Maid sound, including bass and guitar solos, group sing, catchy chorus, and memorable riffs. They had their sound since the beginning and their sound is evolving as they learn to be better musicians. I think its discredits their value when people say they did not write their earlier songs.

If you can find it, check out Band-Maid's "Alone" live at London Comic-Con 2016. Not the best quality, but the camera is mainly behind the band, but a great view of Akane for the most part. It's amazing to be able to see her smash the drums. This was before the days of the click track, so it's really neat seeing Akane count the band back into the song during the little breaks.

Great reaction. I like Thrill, I'll never skip it when it comes up on Spotify... but Alone is a song I actively seek out a lot. The beginning sounds like "Scotty Doesn't Know" from the movie Eurotrip. :) I love how you can tell that both these songs are Band Maid, but they are so different in composition, style, and density. For me, the best part about Thrill is that it shows that people loved them for the music. No fancy video, no crazy production, no J-Idol girls dancing in Yoga pants... just musicians and their instruments. 15 million views and counting. Alone is another thing entirely, the way that Akane drives Alone is amazing. The bass lines, the vocal harmonies, and of course, Kanami just shredding all over the place. The song is a pop-punk masterpiece, and the first really important stepping stone on their way to World Domination. Welcome Home Masters and Princesses, PO!! 🕊🕊🕊

FYI Kanami records all guitar parts even now. Miku learns them to play live. Kanami actually uses Miku's Zemaitis guitars and amp to record her parts to get the live sound as close to the recording as possible.

When the MV for Thrill was released they got so many hits outside of Japan that they thought they got hacked.

I love how nearly all the _musician_ reactors who do analysis eventually have a Band-Maid poster (or three) appear on a wall in the background. Kinda says something about the band. Saikis' playing with her model Shinkansen train set, Kanami is grinding coffee, Miku has a racing form and a radio to listen to the horse race, Misa's got a bottle of booze, and yeah Akane's got a big bowl of noodles. And of course the whole tea party motif pops up constantly in album art and videos. P.S. To date, Kanami has played all the guitars on the recordings. With their schedule, and Miiku's other jobs in the band, there apparently has never been enough time for her to get the parts down before they go into the studio. In a recent interview she promised Kanami she'd try to change that. However, for Unseen World Misa and Kanami recorded some of the instrument tracks at home, so it may be a moot point if Kanami's already laid down a studio-quality guitar track for Miku to learn.

Both videos: MISA - Fender American Deluxe Jazz Bass Kanami - Addicton Modern Series RH with reverse headstock Miku - Rickenbacker Model 620

Great job Wave! You have a great skill in making your analysis understandable, and interesting, to both Musicians and Non-Musicians. One of the few on You tube able to do that!

I think we should really give more props and respect to the writers of their earlier songs. They helped shape the Band-Maid sound of today so much. Man, I was just listening to "New beginning" again lately and I had so much fun, so many great songs on it.

Thrill may be a simple song, but I am thankful that they did it since Miku and Kanami indicated in an interview had they not done that song Band-Maid would not exist. This is pre-Goth Saiki and Misa!

Don't Let Me Down

THRILL was the first BAND-MAID MV that popped up on my YT feed when I first stumbled across this J-Rock/Metal phenomena (ashamedly, only a couple months ago). The journey through this music scene is so freeking fun. Thanks for the break-down and analysis' on this band and others, really helped me understand what the the hell I'm witnessing here (mind blowing). After several weeks, still shell shocked at the talent here.

A fine reaction as always Wave This is what Saiki said in that part before the solo. "I'm just suffocating here. I need escape from this place here. I wanna go away in 3, 2, 1 go.

You are pointing out so much of the things I love of this song and new stuff that most people don't know. This is why is my favorite Band-Maid song

Just .. AMAZING. What a band. Good Lord these girls can play AND perform with such fervor and explosive energy.

No matter how they got there, they have single bandedly changed the course of modern music forever, they have no rival's.

A few comments here about respecting their earlier songs and I agree with that sentiment. The people at their record company who guided, taught, and influenced them deserve tons of respect. Without them we wouldn't have Band-Maid as they are. But at the same time we can acknowledge (just as they did) that they were being surpassed. There's no shame in saying, "Band-Maid writes better songs than us". They write better songs than most bands ever have. So I believe that, when people say that their self-written stuff is better, it doesn't mean that their earlier stuff is bad or shouldn't be enjoyed or that credit shouldn't be given to those people.

At the time when Alone was released, Miku was just 15% of her current guitar skill, she can only play power chords and still cannot play standard chords. Now she can play anything that Kanami puts out. The day of Miku finally playing a legit lead solo by herself is going to be coming real soon.

Two for Tuesday, what better way to end the day. It's always a thrill to listen to Band-Maid, just don't listen to it when alone.

Another great reaction from a great guy and a tremendous trio of performances by the world's best band!

Their live Alone is at the JRock Argentina page of FB.

They didn’t write the early songs, but they did have a good working relationship with the writers and did the arrangements themselves. They credit the writers with teaching them about songwriting.

Haven't watched yet, but no-brainer, "Alone" > "Thrill" , not even close

No other band breaks new gate as well as Band-Maid do.

Since back then alone still my #1 favorite song

Another thing I don't think gets noticed/mentioned a lot when talking about the early songs. Saiki's vocals portions were written with the condition of Saiki's voice in mind. She was only at 60% power up till 2017-2018. That's when she got the throat polyps removed. Also at that time she went and got some vocal coaching to improve her techniques as well.

There's a live version of Thrill, too, where at least one change is Misa's solo being more complex. But yeah wow, the contrast between these songs is amazing. Thrill's arrangement is so spare in comparison. I've watched a lot of reaction videos to it and more than a few people aren't grabbed by it at first. Then you get a bass solo and hey isn't that quite novel! Then Kanami's solo starts and /that's/ when people, especially musicians, sit up and really start paying attention. It's easy to see how that song put them on the map. And yeah Miku wasn't playing guitar at that point, but her "prop" was a Rickenbacker. Classy af. The arrangement to Alone is just so much more rich. It's like they took all the creativity that they hadn't been allowed to express and poured it all into that one piece. It has all the composition techniques we've come to expect from them and feels like they've finally been cut loose and are running with the wind. IMO. Your ability to hear so many things at once is pretty amazing to me, and you catch things right away that would take me a dozen listens to notice. Thanks again for another great video.

I think is the only music video with Misa and Saiki in maid outfits.😲

The solo in Alone is still one of Kanami's best. She wants the solo to evoke an emotion as part of the story of the song. The intentional feedback like a siren over the vocals, and the solo starts with an acceleration, like you are actually getting out of this place like the lyrics say.

Check Vladimir's Hamburg footage, right in front of Kanami.

If you are having headaches that are really bad or just not normal for you, tell your doctor. Trust me.

Wave-kun! Another Maidiac's dream: great concept! Yes - Miku's voice is def different when she's singing lead or co-lead as in "Thrill." Speaking of "Thrill:" Amazing how darned good (and badass) they were that long ago, isn't it? Hearing you talk about "Alone," I am even more convinced this debut self-written song is just superb. IMHO one of Kanami's top 5 solo's.

From what I understand, Kanami wrote Alone not realizing it was a little too low for Saiki. Not sure if Saiki sang on any of the earlier songs that Kanami wrote but were rejected. Saiki mentioned it to Kanami, who didn't make that mistake again.

In both music videos I count 4 strings on MISA's bass, whereas in the live video I count 5 strings on her bass. I wonder at what point exactly MISA transitioned from performing with 4 strings to 5 strings.

I can tell that you really enjoy the band made songs, and I'm jealous of those five illustrations.

There both great songs, period ! Why are we always pitting songs against each other ? Each song is a quality performance. And perfect for where they were at, in their careers.

MISA was going to quit until Band Maid played a show (I believe it was in Seattle) and she saw the audience reaction, and she reconsidered (according to an interview I found on You Tube).

MISA MISA MISA! Nostalgia Nostalgia Nostalgia! 2014 Sai-chan still hasn't learned how to use her hands (holding on to the mike stand like it is a life preserver) MISA wearing shoes and using a 4 string Miku holding the Guitar like its a weapon (or neck ornament) not an instrument Mincho before she changed to PRS Guitars but still Rocking out and of course A-chan still with the Little Hat and strangely not smiling

Actually Saiki complained to Kanami about "Alone" that "the key is too low for me to sing". Kanami, later in an interview, said that she didn't think of Saiki's singing when she composed "Alone". After this song, Kanami is always thinking about Saiki's singing when composing.

They where under contract and "NEVER" thought of quitting, they where "just getting started" especially in the clubs of Tokyo and Miku taking Saiki on many, many interviews.

Here's what blows my mind: - Most bands will try to get to and stay on the level of Thrill their whole careers and do just fine. - Many bands will spend decades refining their sounds to where they can produce something like Alone once or twice per album, released every 2-4 years. Those bands are the standouts. - For BAND-MAID, Alone is basically the demo. It's the starting point, the baseline. We all know where that went, it's scary to think where it's going to go.

Vlad's the man If I'm ever lucky enough to get that close to BAND-MAID I'm stealing MISA.

You need to get that poster framed..

Thrill is the only official video with all five still in their maid uniforms. The lyrics for Alone is one of Miku's darker songs. Lyrics: Oh oh… I dived right inside of you It was like a complicated labyrinth I can’t escape from it no matter how long it took Being not aware of it, I found myself in a trap (I’m) suffocating, running out of breath Not being able to do anything, I just I just cried Nothing but troubles, I’m becoming depressed At this point, let me forget it all As if you will just forget about everything Don’t stare at me with those eyes (It) doesn’t matter if it isn’t true If I can just accept it all, then it’s all good right? It’s just an escape from reality Oh oh… I dived right inside of you Being entangled by lies, I’m already tired and sick of it It’s just all a game, like tossing around sloppily After using me, you’ll just cast me away right? Right? Being not aware of it, I found myself in a trap (I’m) suffocating, running out of breath Not being able to do anything, I just I just cried Searching for a way to escape oh At this point, let me forget it all As if you will just forget about everything Don’t stare at me with those eyes (It) doesn’t matter if it isn’t real If I can just accept it all, then it’s all good right? It’s just an escape from reality I’m just suffocating here I need to escape from this place here I wanna go away in 3, 2, 1 GO As if you will just forget about everything Don’t stare at me with those eyes (It) doesn’t matter if it’s all a lie If I can just accept it all, then it’s all good right? It’s just an escape from reality Oh oh…

"Thrill" is a cool song, but "Alone" is so much better.😉

Well let me tell you about a story about a group named *BAND-MAID* A group of lovely girls who played rock music that thought was dead And then one day *BAND-MAID* went to the record producers And the next thing you know they started writing on their own *Alone* that is the first song they wrote on their own Well the next thing you know *BAND-MAID* is now and free To write their own music as they shouted out with glee They said *Domination* is where you oughta be And they pack their up gear to make history... _(Copyright claim under BM 4-Life and others)_

its more tasty when they wrote thier music it shows what band maid are

BAND-MAID ichiban!

True, those two songs sound as if they're worlds apart, but a lot of good stuff is from that early, not self-composed period. Real Existence (from the same album as Thrill) and The Non-Fiction Days (from the album that alone was on) definitely hold up, in my book.

Kanami calls "Alone" the most important song in her career. Because this song has established her as the composer of Band-Maid. She is very proud of it. P.S. The band members say that Thrill was so special to them because it brought them to the attention of foreigners for the first time. Miku told how surprised they were that comments suddenly appeared in English. They were completely surprised and happy because this was not common for Japanese bands in 2014.

Thank you Wave!

oh man this song has been out that long. holy cow. I feel like I just found it. But I remember seeing it the first week. crazy where does time go? jeez

OK, I just went back and watched your first Yoyoka reaction from 10 months ago... You were thanking us for crossing 800 subs (after 5 years) ...LOL AMAZING!

October 26/2021 BAND-MAID / Sense (Official Music Video) is dropping!!!

It still takes musicians to translate the attitude of the song ! believe me they bring it !

This comparison was a great idea. Including the live Alone was a good move.

This was my first B MAID song I ever heard. The moment Miku hit the backups I was hooked forever. A full blown maidiac from then on

One of my favourite song from BM... Alone

This type of analysis is interesting. After all Kanami is a genius composer from the beginning.

I love 'Thrill' but 'Alone is one of my top 5 favorites.

As I watched Alone live, I was thinking, "This holds up! This is really good!"

I learned about BAND-MAID through Thrill, learned about the band's arranging skills through The Non-Fiction Days, and learned that Kanami is a genius through Alone.

Now happy birthday to our beloved pigeon!

Fender Jazz Bass with maple neck and Jimi Hendrix-sticker :D

100% Band-Maid 100% Awesome

like your hat - just got back monday from a 11 day vacation in colorado springs. lots to see and do. but i always come back with t-shirts instead of hats. i look like a dork in hats ! miku probably snuck in a chord or two but nothing more in thrill. but she progressed quickly with the tutoring of kanami and with each song became more proficient. 'real existence' had her step it up a notch and the mv is killer

Prog? Pop? Metal? Rock? Nope, it's Band-Maid! In interviews Kanami still says that Alone is her favorite song

Best rythm section in active!. They already were in 2016!

Really nice analysis, I feel especially as a non-musician (I've no idea wtf any of this stuff means), you can convey your analysis in a way I still appreciate! And yeah, I feel like Thrill is a nice song, but Alone sounds much more matured. Thrill sounds like a nice song written by someone for someone else to play. Alone sounds like a song written entirely by the people who want to play it themselves. If that even makes any sense. I'm no musician so what do I know!

Thrill was the first song to get me hooked on to Band-Maid BUT this quarter pounder prefers Alone! The whole song is awesome!! The guitar solo is epic compared to Thrill! For me it’s Alone followed by Choose Me

The management must have said, "Holy Shit, Kanami is a wizard, We better let her write everything."

Kanami's solo guitar expretion in Alone song , just like, she was show, who really she is,

From one disorganized person to another: you're forgiven.

Akane getting all of that done on a one up -one down drum kit.

Me thinks you could make a video just comparing the Thrill MV and the Thrill Official Live Video. Set at two very different times, it would show the progression of Band Maid on the same song. (Anyone planning to request this ? :p)

Band Maid just would'nt work without the Dual Vocals !

In your poster, Kanami is drinking coffee (not tea), and Miku is betting on horseraces.

Happiness is a roomful of Marshalls.

If you can get a reaction free pf this video, you can hear Akane's drums from their 2016 UK Comicon Performance. The original video was weirdly taken down because it had over 200k views I think ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Z6OiroA2ShU.html

Looks like a Fender Jazz to me.

Just to take a quote from Talon cos my original comment seems to have gone, "Thanks Wave".👍

Miku knew how to play bars cords, as shown. But a couple of inadvertent things happens when Miku stops playing to sing leads or backup vocals. I say inadvertent because it originally happened in the early days of Band-Maid (like Thrill) when she was not capable of doing both at the same time: 1) It leaves space for her (and Saiki's) vocals, and 2), it brings a dynamic to the music that wouldn't be there if she played across her singing parts. Of course now as she's gotten pretty damn great, she plays many times while singing. But this unintentional rhythm guitar drop-out adds a dynamic, especially when she comes back in, that she still employs and is now part of Band-Maid's signature "live" sound. Since Kanami still plays her guitar parts when recording, you don't hear it as much as with their live performances. I actually prefer the dropped guitar because it reduces the wall of sound that can occur when 2-4 "full-on Kanami" guitar parts are in play on their albums. Alone's somewhat sad, heavy yet empowering story (topics Miku's known for writing about), up against Kanami's up-tempo, complex yet rockin' music is quintessential Band-Maid. Another interesting yet sad fact: Enola is "alone" spelled backwards. For decades, it was known only as the name of the plane that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan - the Enola Gay, named after the pilot's mother. This factoid was so strange, I felt compelled to post it. But it's not directly related to Band-Maid, other than the Japan connection and the word, "Alone". I'm still not sure why I included that disgraceful bit of history. I've always thought the USA could have dropped the A-bomb off shore so people could see its mushroom cloud and destructive force. And if the Japanese military didn't surrender, drop another bomb closer to shore while saying the next one will be on your heads. I think that could have done the trick without all the death. Anyway, it would have been worth a try, imo. Thx, Wave!

Fender Deluxe Jazz Bass.

If MISA leaves a bottle of vodka on her Orange amp, does she end up with a screwdriver? 😄

Thrill is the only video in which MISA wore shoes.

You have to react to ASTERISM

🤘🇹🇭🤘

The fan am sound is weird because he’s right by MISA.

Saiki had vocal chord surgery in 2018 so I wonder if the live version you watched was around that time.

👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

Miku actually helped write the lyrics for this song.

FYI...during interviews, the ladies stated that even though their early songs were not originals, they still had input into the crafting of the music. They said that they would not have done a song if it was not to their standard. "THRILL" has the Band-Maid sound, including bass and guitar solos, group sing, catchy chorus, and memorable riffs. They had their sound since the beginning and their sound is evolving as they learn to be better musicians. I think its discredits their value when people say they did not write their earlier songs.