Going to review two albums from my backlog. I want to finish up my backlog as soon as I can. Fortunately my backlog is rather small at this point, it wouldn't take more than 3 days. Another reason is that downloading all these albums are a bit of a hassle for me. I'll get to the album recommendations eventually, just not for now.
May 16th, 2014
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加爾基 精液 栗ノ花 by
Shiina Ringo
Shiina Ringo is a j-pop artist, with a couple of successful albums under her belt. 勝訴ストリップ (Shōso Strip) is quite well acclaimed, but I'm not going to talk about that album. I'm going to talk about 加爾基 精液 栗ノ花 (Karuki Zamen Kuri no Hana), her fourth album. First album from Shiina Ringo.
The album is quite vibrant, there are even bits that are jazzy. I was slightly expecting a more refined Utada Hikaru - but I was very very wrong. This is not your typical j-pop by any means - in fact it's rather unconventional. This is more towards art pop, easily. The first track caught me offguard, but it was a really compelling listen. All these peculiar elements like trip-hop were thrown at me, but they surprisingly click. Shiina Ringo's voice is also pretty different from what I expected, it's quite unique.
Unlike most pop albums however, it does suck you into a world. It's like you're being sucked in to this lively city, where there are many odd things going on. Either that, or you're just tripping out. Everything feels quite surreal, everything that used to be ordinary is now lively. I'm not too sure what to think of that - it's pretty abstract. It does have its calm moments too, the fourth track is a little ballad. It feels like walking to the park more than anything else to me, but with an odd flare to it. The distorted guitars confused me, but I realised that it's just the grass dancing.
You get the idea, the tracks are simply... abstract. You can't really take it at face value, it goes much deeper than that. While I do respect Shiina's beautiful songwriting and abstract imagery - I can't say that I'm always fond of it. The fourth and fifth tracks are too bright for me, too happy-go-lucky. The brightness does tone down the experimentation quite a bit - at least from what I've noticed. It becomes a little bit of a turn-off. This doesn't apply to that many tracks, however. The other tracks do suffer a lack of memorability. They are abstract for sure, but the tracks don't stick with me. They feel like they're missing something.
Oh, the variation? It's quite diverse. While all of them have the common factor of being abstract, it paints very different pictures. The fifth track looks like a vibrant mall, while the sixth track is very dark and looming. She also throws in many genres like jazz, trip-hop and rock to keep the album fresh. With so many atmospheres to create, it's hard to keep the quality high throughout. Not all tracks click with me for sure, but she did a great job. The ones that are too sugary are still tolerant to an extent.
Not bad. I wasn't expecting much, but this is a pleasant surprise. It's definitely not the best j-pop album I've come across, but it's a different spin on it. There's no denying that the experimentation worked well. I just don't feel compelled to listen to it again. Most of these tracks do bring me to a new environment, but I'm not interested in finding out more about the environment. There's something missing... perhaps the catchiness? Actually, it probably is. Oh well, it's a nice listen through.
Album Highlights: 宗教, 迷彩, とりこし苦労
Track Average Rating: 3.36/5
Overall Rating: 7/10
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Wild Light by
65daysofstatic
65daysofstatic... it's been a while. 65daysofstatic is a post-rock band from the United Kingdom. Their post-rock sound is different from Mono or Explosions in the Sky, however. They infuse glitch and electronic elements into their music, which creates a very unique sound. How much electronic they put in is varied, of course. We Were Exploding Anyway, to my knowledge, embeds it the most. I've been fond of 65dos' first two albums (The Fall of Math and One Time For All Time) for quite a long time now, both with 8.0 and 8.5 respectively. While I can't speak as highly about the other releases, I might as well give this album a shot. Wild Light is their most current album.
Well, right off the bat there are some prominent electronic elements. While it's nowhere as cinematic as Silent Running, it does have some weight to it. The first track is incredibly heavy at the last minute - as if the force of the universe is crushing on you. It doesn't last very long, however. Which is a shame, because that part is unbelievably good. It reminds me of Yodaka's Ema at that point, which is one of my favourite tracks at the moment. Always a good thing.
Prisms... I can't speak too highly of. It's similar to some tracks in We Were Exploding Anyway, which I am quite mixed about. It is definitely upbeat and mellow, but doesn't do much for me. It does get quite flashy at points, but not in a cliche way. It's something that pumps you up, but I just don't see that for me. The continuous crescendo is neat too, but it feels like it's just there the entire time. It just doesn't click with me - but I could see the appeal. The last minute is quite pleasant though, I liked that.
I've noticed that I can't really imagine any soundscape from this. It feels a little too artificial to do so. Even if there are, I feel like a person outside of that environment. It doesn't put you in the forefront like The Fall of Math or One Time For All Time does. It doesn't help that when the tracks are built to its peak, it doesn't explode. Instead, it just stays there and fades away. Really not a fan of that happening. It doesn't apply to every track, of course - tracks like Blackspot and HDIS does explode. The staying power isn't there though, aside from Blackspot. Blackspot's explosions were beautiful and gigantic in size.
I can't say too much about the quality of the tracks. They're generally average, but often mediocre. It doesn't affect me viscerally, but they sound decent. A little odd for a post-rock to really catch my attention outside of a sentimental way, personally. The electronic elements do make it harder to really take it in viscerally. They make the tracks a little too... artificial, for a lack of a better term. It becomes a bit of a barrier - IDM isn't necessarily a genre that I like emotionally. There are a few, but Wild Light isn't one of them. It creates this layer that I can't break through to enjoy it in another way.
I think by the time the sixth track is over, it becomes a hassle to listen to. There isn't much variation to listen to. It also becomes a little predictable too. The more energetic bits tend to be in the second half, for example. The tracks are almost as long as each other too, which adds on to the predictability. Some tracks do have their own flavour, but those flavours are thin. They're not unique enough to really differentiate from the others. Take Taipei for instance. While it sounds different in terms of sound, it's hard to not think that you've heard it in the album before.
The last two tracks almost make up for how mundane the first six tracks though. While still not as forefront as I'd like, it's still very striking to me. Unmake the Wild Light is very engaging from the get go and just builds up from there. It's wonderful - as if the world is about to explode. The energy is so visceral and powerful, it's almost unreal. Safe Passage starts off as a ballad, but changes into this solemn yet desolate landscape. While the transition is abrupt, the content does make up for it. It starts off sombre and just becomes more and more painful to look at. By the time four minutes was up, the landscape looks post-apocalyptic. It's a depressing place to look at, especially since you saw the exact same place being beautiful before.
Two interesting tracks, six generally unspectacular ones. Normally I wouldn't give a low rating (i.e. 5 or lower) just because there weren't that many standouts, but this is an exception. I was so close to just deleting the album by the time Sleepwalk City was done. Although I didn't regret continuing on, I did wish that the front part of the album is a lot better. My question is, why didn't they make it as interesting as the last two tracks? This could've been far better if the great quality was consistent throughout. As it is, I can't see myself listening to this album other than the last two tracks. Doesn't work for me.
Album Highlights: Unmake the Wild Light, Safe Passage
Overall Rating: 5/10