I’m not a rabid Ali Project detractor as is the fashion these days, as I actually used to be a big fan of the group, but even I have to admit the quality of their music has dipped drastically over the years. I remember hearing for the first time “Copperia no Hitsugi” back when I watched Noir and thinking Ali Project was abso-frickin-lutely fantastic. The unique vocals and chaotic, striking chords made the song memorable and gave Ali Project a flair all their own. They were definitely out of the ordinary in a good way.

I’m aware Ali Project existed long before this song was released, and that they even had theme songs in prior shows, but this was the song that got their name out there. “Copperia no Hitsugi” was the breakout single that brought Ali Project out of obscurity into the mainstream fold. Most of you out there are probably much more familiar with Ali Project through the Rozen Maiden and Code Geass franchises, and either loved or hated their themes. There isn’t a band doing anime themes that’s more polarizing than Ali Project, as there isn’t much middle ground between the camps that love and hate them. For better or worse, the second you hear their distinct musical style, you automatically know it’s Ali Project.

Maybe it’s just burn out from Ali Project overexposure these days. Just because a studio can use Ali Project due to their name recognition doesn’t mean it should happen. In their favor, their work in Rozen Maiden, Princess Resurrection and even .hack//Roots actually fit the motif of the series. Though oftentimes when they aren’t working on a dark or Gothic show, the songs feel horribly out of place, as is the case with Code Geass and Sora Kake Girl. You could say I’ve become disenchanted with their music, but a part of me still likes Ali Project too. It’s not like I’m going to go add all their new songs to my playlist and listen to them on repeat, but I do sit through their OPs and EDs, and their annoyingly catchy songs consequently get stuck in my head.

Three of their most recent songs, “Rara Eve Shinseiki” (Sora Kake Girl OP1) “Jigoku no Mon” (Phantom ED1) and “Senritsu no Kodomotachi” (Phantom OP2) are admittedly meh… But they’re still somewhat catchy despite the meh-ness. When Sora Kake Girl was airing I did find myself humming the opening tune without realizing it, cursing Ali Project all the while. Likewise, Phantom’s first ending was somewhat decent, with the visuals having a big part in making it memorable. Phantom’s second opening on the other hand is just plain grating on the ears, but is still sorta catchy in a weird masochistic way.

Despite the sensationalist title and Ali Project ragging, I don’t think they’re bad per se. If they were outright awful they wouldn’t continue to get work, but the fact is the band hasn’t changed much if at all over the years, and their style has fallen into a rut. The Ali Project from eight years ago is more or less the same Ali Project as today, and by strictly adhering to a singular style have become stale as a result. Their music is still distinguishable from the norm, but their songs are all more or less interchangeable with each other. Lyrics aside, you could replace a Rozen Maiden OP with just about any other theme they’ve done and you wouldn’t know the difference.

Overall I neither like nor hate Ali Project as they are now. I do admit their songs are still pretty catchy, but they desperately need to revamp their style because of how stale they’ve become. You actually could interpret not needing to change a sign of success as well since they haven’t needed to change to remain successful, but for a band like Ali Project that made its name through innovation, change would be a very, very good thing and make them relevant again to me. Now for your listening perusal, here’s a selection of TV size songs. For further shits and giggles, play them all at once for the ultimate ear bleeding mashup.

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 27th, 2009 at 1:45 pm and is filed under Music, Rants.You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.