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Labels: jpop
You guys are so good.
Driving me mad, here is the cover to your album.
Life album, your album that gave me life.
Like a gem. that i chanced upon on the plane flight
I have never been so thrilled. last year i didnt really chance on anything special.
So i'm so glad for this chance.
Within the album. A few A-sides like Akaneiro no Yakusoku and Natsuzora Graffiti, B-sides like Seishun line. Album additions that might be worth mentioning, lets explore them.
Introducing the tracks to the album.
Life Album (ライフアルバム, Life Album)
Released: February 13, 2008
1. Good Morning
2. Akaneiro no Yakusoku (茜色の約束; Sunset Promise)
3. Natsuzora Graffiti (夏空グラフィティ; Summer Sky Grafitti)
4. Seishun Line (青春ライン; Youth Line)
5. @miso soup
6. Soprano (ソプラノ)
7. Hana wa Sakura Kimi wa Utsukushi (花は桜 君は美し; Flowers are Cherry Blossoms, You are Beautiful)
8. Chikoku Shichau Yo (ちこくしちゃうよ; I'll Be Late)
9. Kokoro Hitotsu Aru ga Mama (心一つあるがまま; There Remains a Heart)
10. Nisemono (ニセモノ; Fake)
11. Tokyo Saru Monogatari (東京猿物語; The Story of A Tokyo Monkey)
12. Tsuki To Atashi To Reizōko (月とあたしと冷蔵庫; The Moon, Me And a Refrigerator)
13. Akaneiro no Yakusoku -acoustic version-
And now bringing to all of you.
The tracks worth mentioning.
Track 7: Hana wa Sakura Kimi wa Utsukushi (花は桜 君は美し; Flowers are Cherry Blossoms, You are Beautiful)
An interesting piece, i feel that the chorus was made up of song oldie song! The chorus with the chopped up style that gives a oldie touch, like as though it should have been sung slow like the intro at the start. the song feels like a powered up remake of an oldie
3.5/5 kuromi
Track 4: Seishun Line (青春ライン; Youth Line)
A nice intro start, following a great taste of rock with harmonica.
The beats of the verse maintains and picks up nicely to a chorus. Bridged between with the band's unique harmonica fusion style, ahhh i just wished the chorus could add in abit more hook and lengthening it slightly.
I award:
4/5 kuromi
Track 3: Natsuzora Graffiti (夏空グラフィティ; Summer Sky Grafitti)
Summer sky graffiti! Doesnt the song title already paint an image? From the start, kiyoe san used her pretty vocals and painted a pretty summer sky. Following up with anime-ish instrumentals and verse that kept the summer picture.
the verse before chorus.
地球が呼吸を始めて
100秒たったら この海に飛び込むよ
その瞬間(とき) きっと伝えるよ 笑っていて
止まらない この気持ち
あなたとなら 飛べるよ
The energy gathers from "chikyuu", and it builds until kiyoe san gave me surprises from "waratteite", where she flaunts her powerful vocals that reminded me of sobakasu's judy and mary.
chorus kicks in. there is a hothot feeling as she sings the hook 太陽たいようのキラメキのなかで. "even hot, i want to love you","hug me","how i cant nvr let go of this hand"
splendid song that captures my emotion, i just wished they pulled off the chorus ends abit nicer.
4.5/5 kuromi!
Track 12: Tsuki To Atashi To Reizōko (月とあたしと冷蔵庫; The Moon, Me And a Refrigerator)
A strange title i agree, but it caught my attention.
Thr start proved itself different from its rock that ikimonogakari usually produces.
At the start, from the sentence 真夜中に一人きり冷蔵庫を開けて, it gave me a lonely feeling while her light cuteness in voice linked me to ai otsuka singing an emo song.
The first two verses create a slow, quiet and self reflective atmosphere.
Into chorus! Amazing from the start at 叫んだとして, a mellow emotion packed with feeling, a dreamy feeling while kiyoe swooned into the 残さないで. the harmonica after chorus did much service to add onto the beautiful 5:54 dream.
Really love this.
4.5/5 kuromi!
And finally...
Track 2: Akaneiro no Yakusoku (茜色の約束; Sunset Promise)
The song at last! I have been mentioning it, so crazily obsessed.
The music starts normally, picking up abit at 00:07 and at 00:12 starts to paint the magical sunset with its jdrama-like melody, giving one a sneak preview one the song thereafter.
The song starts off, romantically and slightly painfully, sentences like .."walking in step on the road, i am always chasing after you".. and kiyoe's vivid expression of a wasted pain
from "つまずいたり 転んで 泣いてみたり", the sadness pours out slightly more as the pace picked. one of the best buildups i ever heard to the chorus in my hardrive.
kiyoe successfully virtualises the love at its dusk. music and lyrics fusion perfectly, showing kiyoe's pains in their wishes which she cannot bear to part. "あなたに" embossed the effect onto the fairytale, and "in the glowing sky of when we met, look i am still wishing for the same things as then" revealed her desires, regrets.
The music comes again. what a fairytale! simply drawn into the sunset scene, her sunset love that shall cease to exist soon, yet sorrowfully clinging onto those memories. Im sure, even if you have never felt love that way. You will understand it now.
just dont watch their MV this time ):
Its 5/5 kuromi for bringing me into her sunset dimension.
Overall a fantastic album. Amazing use of slightly rockish music with flavourful blends of harmonica to achieve unexpected effects of country/rock blended music.
Its worthy of buying, so please support them if you can!