じーーン@アマギゴエ

The Usa Colony (うさころにー/Rabbit Colony) is a group made of several doujin singers, musicians, and artists that produce works surrounding mostly VOCALOID–the headliners being singers Yamai and Usa. Anyone well versed in the VOCALOID nico scene have probably heard of their names. But what makes this dynamic yuri duo so enticing?

Yamai (ヤマイ) is a powerhouse vocalist, to say the least. Her voice is a deep, husky soprano type; many people address her as oneesama for that reason. Is it no wonder people imagine her to be like MEIKO? (Not to mention her legion of fangirls.) Probably one of my favorite songs she has sung would be ryo’s Koi wa Sensou, one of the most viewed videos on her mylist and probably the most viewed cover of the title. (Beware of the massive あああああああああああああああ spam when you view her video, lol.) Did I forget to mention she did the yuri Marimite-esque version of Danjyo? She should really hook up with an agency already, but I guess she’d end up leaving her poor Usa behind. ;(

Usa (うさ) has a clear, sweet voice that reminds me a lot of a singer many people miss, Gazelle, but not quite as high-pitched and more bit mature (sounding, that is)–think eufonius. Probably one downside is Usa’s mic quality at times, however, the quality of her voice is still very much audible (and likable). My recommendation would be to check out her Saihate cover, piano version. Her World is Mine is also currently the most viewed cover of the title (not including Isaji, as lulzy as his is), and it definitely rivals Gazelle’s version.

So what duo am I talking about? These two started their collaboration with a cover of the KAITO song Cyclone–one I’m not quite familiar with, but it definately sounded fantastic when they sang it. They’ve done two other duets so far, one being intricate melody of Yume Miru Kotori, and the emotional Kokoro x Kokoro ・Kiseki, a Len/Rin duet spin-off of the iconic Rin song, Kokoro. The combination of Yamai’s strong soprano and Usa’s sweet alto makes one of the best duos in the Nico singing community today, if I do say so myself. Probably the thing that hit home for me is how much the two remind me of a twosome that used to be: Sariyajin and Gazelle. Sari still wears her Galire:o bracelet up to this day. *sigh* But I suppose that’s life.

Of course, I don’t like UsaYamai just in that aspect; the two are both fantastic singers in their own right. They also have their own radio show called UsaYamai, where they answer questions from listeners and whatnot. They often link to the show on their respective blogs [Yamai/Usa], and there’s a bbs for it, too. Like most radio shows, I’m pretty sure the yuri fluff is staged, but you never know, huhuhu（．=ω=）～☆

And the rest? I’ll just mention a few notable ones:

KuroUsa - composes many popular VOCALOID original songs, like Kantarera and Zutto, Zutto….

Twilightz - also a VOCALOID composer, his latest song is bpm. Unfortunately, I think he is well underrated, as he has some catchy stuff but not enough viewage.

Asagi - did the eyecatching animation PV for Saihate.

The group is also releasing a doujin album in time for Summer Comiket, which is called UsaCoronichi. There will be 11 songs + bonus track and a 12 page booklet of illustrations done by the artists in the group (expect some yuri images, too). 1300円 at Comiket, and 1500円 at other stores to be sold. The track list is already on site, which features two new songs in addition songs they have covered before; you can also see some sample illustrations as well.

Be sure to check out the rest of the rabbit members on the UsaColony website, including their mylists and works.