Background
To begin with: I’m a huge fan of Mori’s music. I, almost embarrassingly, was in the top 3% of listeners according to Spotify (thanks for that). It started with a song or two showing up on my YouTube recommendations. The first song I remember hearing was “Off With Their Heads.” Sometimes songs take me a few listens to appreciate but the music and lyrics (along with what little I knew about the VTuber industry) captured me pretty quickly.
I would have branched out and listened to her other songs after that, but I didn’t much care for rap in general. It takes some convincing for me to get through it. The next year, she released Your Mori. LO-FI ALBUM. This is what turned my Spotify into a Mori delivery service. Practically injected into my blood stream. I could (perhaps should) write a whole article about this album.
Since then, I’ve listened to all of her originals over and over and over again. She’s a very prolific and accomplished musician / lyricist. I, like many others, fear her eventual burnout if she doesn’t take it easy.
Now that you know a bit about my experience with the artist, let’s talk about PHANTOMIME.
Initial Impressions
I had the pleasure of listening to the album in it’s entirety the moment it was released on YouTube around midnight, August 16th, 2024. Here’s a link.
I absorb music through many listen-throughs and I generally prefer full albums to individual tracks. The artist put the songs in the order they did on purpose; I’m listening to them in that order. The first listen-through was a bit mindless. I didn’t really pay that much attention. (I was busy playing an early access game under NDA so I was a bit distracted 🤫). But I had a great time, regardless.
It felt like a fun mix of genres. Very dancy and what I thought I had come to expect from Mori. I would have already recommended it due to her consistency. But I knew I would need to give it another go or two to fully get it.
After a good sleep, dealings with work, and general life activities, I had the time to sit down and listen to the music mindfully.
It’s fucking fantastic.
I want to just gush, but I have to keep some semblance of structure or this whole thing turns into an even less comprehensible mess than it already is.
The album consists of 11 fantastic songs. 3 of which were released ahead of the full album. These songs are “タイド (Tide),” “Overkill,” and “Midnight Mayoi.” These have been great listens, but they mostly served to make me excited for the full album. I did listen to “Overkill” at least 100 times at this point, though. More on that later.
“PHANTOMIME” seems to me like an obvious portmanteau of “phantom” and “pantomime.” Sounds to me like another word for a VTuber, or digital performer in general.
- Ratings for songs are given in relation to other songs on the album, not music as a whole.
1. Tide (Mori Calliope x AI)
Mori had a live stream where she went over all of the songs in detail. I haven’t watched the entire thing, but here’s something she said about Tide:
You’re going from the bottom of hell to this magnificent rise. For this album, I was initially thinking, ‘We went through the seven layers of hell to get down to the bottom for Left For Dead Lullaby, now we have to go back up through the layers’ and I thought, ‘That is so boring, we have to come up with a different approach. So just decided, let’s make the first track super uplifting, like we’re flying back through hell, and then after that we can go and continue a different story.
This song is supposed to be really uplifting. It’s a really uplifting way to jump into the album, I feel. I wanted to start off with something that’s, “Don’t give up.” It’s meant to be listened to right after “Left For Dead Lullaby” from JIGOKU 6.
“Left For Dead Lullaby” really is a hard one to follow up. It’s a song that fills you with a sort of helpless sorrow as you listen to Mori describe the isolation and loneliness she seems to feel even through (or perhaps because of) the fame she’s garnered.
“Tide,” on the other hand, truly does paint a picture of you taking a jetpack out of hell. The lyrics initially presents you a body that’s cracked, tired, and losing the meaning of what makes you who you are. Still, it calls out hoping anyone notices.
That spark in your soul exists regardless of how your body feels. The rest of the song is pretty inspirational and uplifting. Getting up and making any sort of progress towards what you want, even if no one is looking.
I also have to point out this sick line:
Passion fades, but so do scars.
Banger.
All this without even mentioning the amazing vocals that AI provided the track. I’m not very familiar with her but, damn. Perhaps I should check her out.
It took me a few listen-throughs to really appreciate it.
2. SNEAKING revenge with Lotus Juice
I’ma be real. This is my least favorite on the album.
“SNEAKING (revenge)” is a re-do of her previous song “SNEAKING.” Yes, the song gets better as I listen to it, but I’m not really a fan of the chorus. Nor am I a fan of Metal Gear.
The music itself is great. I do like it much more than the original.
3. Go-Getters
“Go-Getters” is the ending theme for Suicide Squad Isekai. It’s an extremely catchy song full of energy and bounce. Before writing this, I didn’t know it was made for a show, I just knew it was one of her more popular songs at the moment. It makes more sense now, haha.
Knowing it’s for Suicide Squad, which seems to focus on Harley Quinn, the lyrics make a lot more sense. There’s a lot of confidence and chaos.
4. Overkill
The growl at 2:00. Enough said.
Ah, okay, ya got me. I have more to say.
MUSIC
This is, as far as I know, the first song she’s done in a metal style. It. fucking. slaps. It’s so well done. Her voice was perfect for this piece. Her natural sound is pretty deep and husky(👌), but she’s very comfortable in the higher “cuter” ranges. The genre shift really helped show off those lower pitches.
Alongside the theme of the song, the higher “cute” notes give a nice juxtaposition that’s better explained by the lyrics. The gravelly noises and growling give me chills and I’m very happy with this musical direction, being a metal head, myself.
LYRICS
This song is an obvious call out of the industry she’s in. It starts heavy with “テメぇの所為です” (“It’s all your fucking fault” in JP) followed by a scream.
In the music video, television-headed big-wigs place bets on girls forced to compete with each other, much like horse racing. These “lovely animals” are promised their dreams only to be used, broken down, and thrown away once they’ve reached the end of their usefulness.
Mori is depicted walking into their gambling arena and very literally bashes their heads in with a spiked bat.
This shit goes so hard.
Huge shout out to Yuki Tsujimura and MEGMETAL for the arrangement of the song.
5. Cult Following
10/10 10/10
10/10 10/10
10/10
10/10 10/10
The first new song introduced, “Cult Following” is easily my favorite song on the album. I can’t move forward without mentioning the perfection that is the verse at 2:55. The way she sings “If you’re looking for permission to riot, you got it wrong” is very reminiscent of Korn, to me.
Speaking of which, this song is NU METAL. ????? Did I expect her to go in this direction? Yes. Was I ready for it? Apparently not.
This song feels like it was made for someone (read: me) who grew up listening to Linkin Park, Hoobastank, Korn, Slipknot, etc. “Cult Following” is an absolutely head-banging good time. Did I mention the music was done by WARGASM?
The quality of this song is insane, and it’s crazy to see how far she’s come from her first album, Your Mori.
My initial impression was that singer is confidently dancing in an active war zone. Taunting the opposition to take aim and fire while inspiring allies to stand up and make a decision already.
I’m paraphrasing her own words here now because I didn’t get the song at all, apparently. “Cult Following” is about cult-like figureheads. Celebrities, figureheads, etc, anyone who would have a cult following and how they can abuse that position. The singer preys upon weak subjects, spouting obvious red flags to tempt their victim into their clutches. The singer teases the opposition from their position of safety.
She wants people to make their own decisions on whether or not the figures they follow (Mori included) are harmful.
Mori does mention that this song is not an accurate representation of her true feelings, but rather an exploration of another perspective.
Fun tidbit: Mori said her original lyrics were all over the place. She was afraid of coming off as cringe, lame, or edgy when presenting the lyrics to WARGASM, to the point of wanting to throw up every time she looked at them. So, she rewrote them in the studio. The rewrite is something she’s happy with, since she wrote them after giving up trying to be cool.
6. DONMAI
The second new song on the album. What a joyride this one is.
“DONMAI” is a genre changing roller coaster. Mori expresses feelings high and low, while the music shifts between rap, rock, and… swing? I love it.
The beat is really driving, the instruments fly. It’s such a good time if you like having your expectations subverted. There’s so much going on that you could easily listen to this song on repeat and notice something new every loop.
“Donmai” is a Japanese word borrowed from the English “don’t mind.” The meaning is close to “shake it off” or “don’t worry.”
Much of the lyrics show off the imposter syndrome that Mori feels. Having listened to a lot of her music, it seems she’s been plagued by this feeling for quite a long time now. She puts herself down pretty harshly and follows up with how every goal she achieves is just the precursor to the next, making each achievement feel meaningless in a way. But she shakes it off and still bets it all on herself.
Being a random “want to be” chosen and made to be a “somebody” is a sick lyric.
7. Midnight Mayoi (Mori Calliope × Kobo Kanaeru)
A sweet and melodic piece with some funky city-pop vibes thrown in. The combination of Mori’s more melodic side in combination with Kobo’s cute voice make for a track you could listen to on repeat while driving down the freeway at night.
This track feels more like “everybody” music. It’s a break from the deeply personal and heavy songs directly before it. “Midnight Mayoi” shifts the mood of the album in a more relaxed direction.
8. skeletons
The third new song on the album. Immediately following the vibes of “Midnight Mayoi,” we get a solemn and slow piano-only intro with soft vocals from Mori. She gives off major Elsiane vibes here (kudos).
The genre shifts into a bit of a thoughtful hip-hoppy vibe with the ever present intro piano in the background. I really enjoyed listening to this one. I really need to listen to her thoughts on this song.
There’s a rap section where she rhymes the same sound four times in a row:
The age of misfit, optimistic that I missed it
Until I flash back to every wall that my fist hit
I only point it out because she does this a lot and I recently found out she thinks it’s kind of cringe to do so. She rolls her eyes like, “wow such a rap god 👏👏👏.” At herself, haha. If it makes sense, she gives it a pass.
9. Last Days
The fourth new song on the album. “Last Days” picks the vibe up from where “skeletons” left it and kind of flies off with it.
This song soars slowly yet passionately, building up, falling down, rising again and finishing with an abrupt dive. The energy and emotion brought out by the chord progressions and beautifully arranged instrumentation make this a definite favorite on the album.
“Last Days” is written from the perspective of someone who is watching someone they care about leave from their life. This isn’t with a specific method in mind. People can leave from your life by moving, death, ending their career, however. It’s a sad song that most people will be able to relate to in some way.
There are also a few references to her older songs (specifically “Red,” “End of a Life,” “Cursed Night,” and “Left for Dead Lullaby”).
10. through the blue
The final new song on the album. Immediately after the end of “Last Days,” we’re met with a slightly more energetic acoustic guitar, bouncing some chords back and forth. I’m given visions of summer, wind, grass, and clouds.
The song invokes a feeling of nostalgia in a way that makes you feel melancholic about what the relentless march of time will inevitably take from you.
In the end, living in the now and appreciating the view in front of you while you’re still there is the key to happiness.
I have a feeling I’ll be coming back to this song, specifically, quite a lot. Anything with a “live in the moment” message hits me pretty hard.
Thank you.
I had (and will continue to have) a great time with this album. I’ve said this before, but Mori really has come a long way from Your Mori. It’s a great album in its own right, but the quality and depth of her music has improved drastically.
I’m excited to see where she goes from here.