alan [Voice of EARTH] (First Album)

Tennyo ~interlude~
Ashita e no Sanka
Sora Uta
Natsukashii Mirai ~longing future~
Hitotsu
Kaze no Tegami
BRAVE
Yume no GARDEN
Gunjou no Tani
my friend
Liberty
Tsuki ga Watashi
RED CLIFF ~Shin Sen~
Megumi no Ame
Together

The album starts off with Tennyo ~interlude~. This is a pretty long interlude, its practically song limit going a bit over three minutes. Its a nice opening to the album and invokes such an atmosphere of surrealism. I thought alan’s mountain notes were a bit unnecessary if only because they seemed to come out of nowhere, otherwise a pretty good start to the album, even if it did play like one of those random instrumentals.

The first full length track on the album is Ashita e no Sanka. This is alan’s first single and I admit its quite the single to debut with, but I believe at this point the novelty has worn off. I do like how this incorporates traditional Chinese music, very nice and gave me such an ‘house of flying daggers’ vibe. alan’s vocals are pretty regular and then you get to the chorus where she hits these notes that sound so alien, its awe-inspiring and annoying at the same time, that’s the best way I can describe it. I do like how this song was put together, how there isn’t much going on with it, but its memorable and leaves quite an impression. I may not like this track as much as I once did, but this is definitely one of my favorites from her.

The next track on the album brings the pace up a tad with Sora Uta. I reviewed all five of alan’s elemental release singles and this is the second in the saga. This song just sounds different to me, like a whole lot more interesting. I like the oriental airy-ness of the arrangement, I mean its not ‘wow’ ing or anything, but it certainly gives off an refreshing type of feeling. alan’s vocal performance also sounds better to me, like not so annoying and more in control. I don’t know, I don’t dislike this song anymore, but I’m not sure if I fully like it either. I’ll have to give it a few more listens before I can fully decide, but I’ll give it one thing, it sounds a whole hell of a lot better this time around.

The next track on the album is the first single from alan’s elemental release saga, Natsukashii Mirai ~longing future~. This song sounds a lot different than it did on the single. I gave this track a lot of flack, but hearing it on the album I actually quite like it, if only because its almost like another version. I like the sound of the kids at the beginning, I like how the arrangement and the entire atmosphere of the song makes you think of the Earth and how precious and important it is to our well-being and survival as humans. alan gave a good and rather genuine vocal performance and though I still think her mountain notes sound like a cat wailing, they were appropriate. I love the choir singing along with her towards the end and the fact that this track just sounds a whole lot more inspirational this time around. I can safely say this has grown on me.

The next track on the album is the rather tame Hitotsu. I’ve always thought of this as a part two of ‘ashita e no sanka’ because they sound so similar to me. This is a pretty quiet song and I think that’s where its charm lies. The arrangement plays like air and alan gives a somewhat strong vocal performance without overdoing it, even during the high notes, she kept it to a minimum. I’ve always liked this track, right a long with ‘ashita e no sanka’ that hasn’t changed.

The next track speeds the pace up a tad with Kaze no Tegami. Ah, unlike ’sora uta’ this song is still as underwhelming as it was on the single. I’m just really not feeling the pseudo-rock and experimental arrangement it just seems so dead and limp, like it should be coming out at me, engaging me, but its just as dull as lights flashing on and off. alan’s vocal performance was pretty stagnant as well. I mean there was no emotion in her voice, no feeling and it made the song tedious. I don’t know, this track was the perfect opportunity to give us something other than oriental ballads and the payoff was weak.

The next track on the album is surprisingly not a single. BRAVE is a pretty boring title. We finally get presented with a non-single track, but it was hardly worth the wait. The arrangement is very traditional, but it isn’t really all that interesting and sounds pretty typical and strange. alan’s vocal performance wasn’t really all that good either, it wasn’t bad, but it did nothing to hold my attention. I also hated the bombardment of caterwauling she kept doing, it sounded like she was drowning.

The next track on the album is the ethereal-esque Yume no GARDEN. Ah, yet another song that isn’t a single, that makes two in a row. Anyways as where the previous was annoying, this is pretty forgettable and boring. The arrangement is a series of sounds that I guess are supposed to give off the atmosphere of an otherworldly garden or something, but sounds like crickets chirping at night an the wind. alan’s vocal performance was decent, because needless to say she does have a nice voice, but it just came across as tired to me, because she wasn’t doing anything with it. I mean the ‘mountain notes’ would have actually sounded right in this track, unlike the previous. Its also long, which made the song drag and thus more dull than it should have been.

The next track on the album is the last single release before this album Gunjou no Tani. I still think this is a pretty good track. It has a nice arrangement and alan delivers a good vocal performance and uses the whole high note hitting to her advantage. It’ll never be a favorite of mine and I don’t think alan will ever release a single or record a song that can top ‘red cliff’, but this is an enjoyable and rather atmospheric listen.

The next track on the album keeps the slow pace going with my friend. This is a pretty mild song, that manages to do nothing really, but has a nice flow. The arrangement is quite pretty, despite being rather simple and alan gave a somewhat boring yet genuine vocal performance. I have a soft spot for ‘friend’ songs an though this doesn’t really stand out and is a little forgettable I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt. Its not bad.

The next track on the album is the one that was suppose to be a single, but thankfully wasn’t. Liberty is not so much boring as it is uninteresting (which seems to be the case with these non single tracks), I do like the flow, its nice and easy. The arrangement is a rather simple piano piece with some sparkle sounds that play like they were thrown in there every once in a while. alan’s vocal performance was rather nice though, but it didn’t stand out at all. This is a decent listen, but single material it was not and I’m glad I’m not the only one who thought that.

The next track on the album is the down-tempo Tsuki ga Watashi. This song is pretty similar to the last track. The arrangement is more traditional though, that’s always nice. alan’s vocal performance was quite like the previous, nice, but it didn’t stand out. I’m not sure why the single tracks are so underwhelming and safe, but this was a pretty listen none the less.

The next track on the album is the epic RED CLIFF ~Shin Sen~. I swear alan must share my opinion in this being her best song, especially considering she releases it so much. I gushed about this song enough on my single review of it and my feelings towards it hasn’t changed. This is a great song, with a haunting and rather fantastic arrangement and a top-notch vocal performance, I wonder if she will ever be able to top this?

The second to last track on the album is the down-tempo Megumi no Ame. I gave this song quite the beating in my single review of it, but like ’sora uta’ and ‘natsukashii mirai’ this track just sounds so much better, a lot better and surprisingly not boring at all. I like how simply pretty the arrangement is, there’s nothing to it and it plays so nice. alan’s vocal performance was also rather lovely. I quite enjoyed this song this time around, imagine that?

The last track on the album is the limited addition Together. This is the new track on the album that left the biggest impression on me and the only one I genuinely like. The arrangement was nice and dramatic and alan’s vocal performance was gorgeous. I thought it was interesting how she would switch up her tones, to where the song sounded incredibly depressing one second and then oddly up-lifting the next. This was a pretty good end to the album.

-GRADE: B
Rating: ** stars

alan’s first album Voice of EARTH is like the majority of debut albums, good, but not good enough. It took eight singles before this could be released and honestly had she snipped the eight to about three or four, I would have most definitely rated this album higher as she didn’t it becomes an orgy of tracks I’ve already heard and that really dumbs down the enjoyment factor. The main problem I had with this album, other than the mountain of singles, was the fact that the album only tracks were rather mediocre and safe. You go through all this trouble to glamorize the singles to make the album appealing and the songs that everyone are anticipating (the non single tracks) are pretty average and the only one that I’d even bother listening to again would be ‘together’ and ‘Tsuki ga Watashi’, ‘my friend’ possibly, but lets not stretch it. I did like how the elemental singles I didn’t like (all, but ‘red cliff’) played a lot better and the only one I still had qualms with was ‘kaze no tegami’. Voice of EARTH is a decent debut album, with some pretty nice tracks and some good vocals from alan (because lets face it, the woman can sing), but its just not all that good to me and was a pretty average if not boring listen.

*This is an old review, this is the first of a slew of reviews I did before I decided to go on my hiatus. [April 14th, 2009]

Ai Kawashima [Ashiato] (Third Album)

Kimi ni…..
My Love
Sakura Bojou
Crying (album version)
Someday
Kareshi
Sochuu Omimai Moushiagemasu
Akai Kutsu no Mimosa
Taisetsu na Yakusoku
Dreaming World
Kyuusei Shu
compass
Ashiato

The album starts off with Kimi ni…... I’m on the fence with this track, because I like it, but then again I don’t like it. The piano arrangement is nice if not predictable. Ai’s vocal performance on the other hand is just very hit or miss and mostly miss, I mean I don’t know what it is, or if its just me, but the tones she makes with her voice are just very annoying. It almost put me off this song completely, but I like the pace, the flow and its not really a bad song.

The next track on the album is the up-tempo My Love. I’m actually pretty surprised that this isn’t down-tempo, but it was a welcome change and so soon? The arrangement is pretty up-beat and sparkly, though just like the previous track, predictable and a bit anime-ish. Ai’s vocals weren’t as annoying thankfully, but she sounded rather odd trying to keep up with the music and I just didn’t buy it, it was a pretty tired vocal performance. This isn’t a bad song either, but unlike the first track, I don’t really care for this and can’t see myself listening to it again.

The next track on the album brings the pace back down with Sakura Bojou. This song seemed very long to me, but even though it seemed long I wasn’t ready for it to end, which is surprising seeing as how I’m talking about Kawashima here and I don’t really like her voice. The arrangement was calm, not anything interesting, but it went with the flow of the song and didn’t distract. Ai’s vocal performance was the usual, but I’m impartial to it in this track and thought she did a decent job.

The next track on the album is the down-tempo Crying (album version) This isn’t a bad song, but it just plays without being felt. The arrangement is a simple piano piece, but I thought it was a little too simple and the ‘ping’ sound I kept hearing was very distracting. Ai’s vocal performance was bearable in a sense, but I honestly didn’t care for it, it just passed over me. The chorus is basically the only part of this track that I somewhat remember. Its also longer than the previous, but thankfully just like ’sakura bojou’ it didn’t seem long. I guess this is one of those songs that will have to grow on me, but I doubt I’ll be listening to it again.

The next track on the album calms things down with Someday. This song is pretty plain, but the flow is nice. The song didn’t really do anything arrangement wise and seemed to be there just to give the song something to stand on. Ai’s vocal performance was light and surprisingly nice. This song seemed long to me for some reason, which is strange because it is long, but it wasn’t long in a irritating way, but a ‘hmm? this song isn’t over yet’ way.

The next track on the album is Kareshi. This is quite possibly the most interesting song on this album so far. The arrangement is rather cute-sy in a mild way and even though it doesn’t do much it did keep the song interesting and a bit lively and upbeat. I thought Ai gave a pretty good and consistent vocal performance as well.

The next track on the album continues the breezy pace with Sochuu Omimai Moushiagemasu. This is another rather upbeat track that is nearly as interesting as the previous, if not moreso. I actually like the arrangement, not so much sparkly, but pretty nice and at one point it was a bit lovely? I thought Ai’s vocal performance was fine, she did sound like she was just getting over a cold, because her vocals had this strangely weak tone to them, but otherwise I found it bearable.

The next track on the album is the smooth Akai Kutsu no Mimosa. I actually really like this and it stood out, by not really standing out at all. The arrangement is very lounge and blue-sy and it made me think of smoke. I loved how laid-back and sensual it was. Ai’s vocals were surprisingly nice, I actually had no problems with her in that department. This was a pretty cool track.

The next track on the album keeps the down-tempo pace going with Taisetsu na Yakusoku. Well… this is a rather uneventful track. I actually thought I was going to like it, because it started off on a somewhat good note and then it just went nowhere and fast. This is such a tedious listen. The heard it a thousand times before arrangement just dragged and Ai’s vocal performance made me think of YUI, it was so monotonous. This song is boring and too long to have nothing going for it.

The next track on the album is the whimsical Dreaming World. I’m really surprised that this song was a bit over four minutes, because it honestly played like a six minute song. This is a track that you don’t really pay attention to, but you think is a pretty all right song once it fades. The arrangement is typically sparkly, but its of course fitting. Ai’s vocals were decent, it did seem like she was trying to sound dreamy a lot, by elongating on certain parts in the song and I thought that was kind a annoying and weird, but otherwise it was a fine vocal performance. The choir that came in towards the end was nice as well.

The next track on the album is the nice Kyuusei Shu. This song also seems longer than it actually is. I actually quite like this. The arrangement is the most interesting I’ve heard on this album, the smooth Jazz like qualities of it really appealed to my ears and put me in a very serene almost blissful mood. Ai’s vocal performance was pretty darn good as well, possibly the best I’ve heard so far as well. This is definitely the stand-out track, if only because it completely separates itself from the rest of the tracks on here.

The second to last track on the album is compass. I’m wondering if this song was suppose to be good, because I spent over five minutes wondering if it was ever going to go anywhere. The arrangement is the piano, it plays prettily, but is very simple, it eventually becomes background noise. Ai’s vocals are decent I guess, but did nothing to stand out and I found I hardly cared for it, pretty weak. This track is forgettable.

The last track on the album is its namesake Ashiato. This song isn’t bad, but I really dislike Ai’s vocal performance. The arrangement consists of an acoustic guitar, nothing amazing, but its nice on the ears. The problem is it makes Ai’s vocals stand out in glaring relief and I really don’t like the annoying tones she does with it, reminds me of that thing Ayu insists on doing with her voice in everyone of her songs nowadays. I just don’t like her voice and this song makes it stand-out too much. The arrangement was nice, Ai’s vocals weren’t. This was a quiet albeit weak ending to the album.

-GRADE: B-
Rating: ** stars

Ai Kawashima’s third album Ashiato was decent, but I wouldn’t listen to it again. I don’t really know what to think of Kawashima, I’m starting to think she was better when she first started out, because her material now is a drag. I admit, there were a few songs on this album that I genuinely liked, but overall this album was rather boring and forgettable. It was also a chore to get through and I found myself wondering if I really wanted to continue reviewing her music, because she honestly doesn’t appeal to me at all. I don’t like her voice and though she does a genre that I like, her music is more often than not tedious. I liked her first album and this album wasn’t as bad as it could have been; some tracks did appeal to me. I’m going to give Kawashima one more chance, but honestly I don’t think I’ll ever become a fan of her (perhaps her mini albums are better?).

*This is an old review, this is the first of a slew of reviews I did before I decided to go on my hiatus. [April 7th, 2009]

Aikawa Nanase [R.U.O.K?!] (Third Mini Album)

FOOLISH 555
R.U.O.K?!
FLY TO RAINBOW RAY
ROCK STAR’s STEADY
RED WHEEL
Snowfall
EVERYBODY GOES

The mini album starts off with the grating FOOLISH 555. Wow, this song is pretty nerve-wracking. I actually think I liked this song when I first gave this mini a listen, now I’m wondering why. I’m not saying its bad, but this is just one of those songs I advise you not to listen to if your head is hurting, it just might split open. The arrangement is hard, chaotic rock, primarily the drums, I didn’t care for it. Aikawa was trying to do too much with her vocals and after a while it was almost like, ‘i get it, you’re a rocker chick and the best at that’ this song isn’t bad and I can see a lot of rock fans really getting into it, me? I really can’t see myself listening to this again and enjoying it, its just too loud and all over the place for me, even for an Aikawa rock tune.

The next track on the mini is R.U.O.K?!. I don’t too much like this song either, but I do like the mild flow of it. The arrangement is like a more tamer version of the previous and it plays in a smooth manner, despite being rock-based. Aikawa’s vocal performance is a lot better this time around, its not great, but its definitely tolerable. I had to listen to this song twice, because I wasn’t sure I liked it the first time, I think it’ll grow on me, especially considering I like how calm is seems, which kind of contradicts the exclamation mark in the title.

The next track brings things up a notch with FLY TO RAINBOW RAY. I’m surprised I like this song, but its pretty fun. The arrangement is rock: drums, bass, guitar, its loud, its consistent and it’ll certainly keep your head banging. Aikawa gives a good an enthusiastic vocal performance, really getting into the song during the chorus. I love when the backing vocals comes in, makes the song almost epic and a really memorable rock tune.

The next track on the album keeps the pace going with ROCK STAR’s STEADY. This is the type of rock I don’t like, because honestly no matter how many times I listen to this, it just doesn’t sound good. The arrangement is typical rock, it sounds like they recorded it in their garage band and I mostly heard the drums. Aikawa’s vocals were pretty much nonsensical, even in Japanese. I guess its safe to say I like this even less than ‘foolish 555′.

The next track on the album is the pseudo-dark RED WHEEL. This song gave me such an ‘black angel’ vibe, especially when she would get to the chorus. I enjoyed this song quite a bit, had the right amount of angsty rock in it to be tolerable. The arrangement is primarily the guitar and its pretty heavy. Aikawa’s vocal performance was top notch, she seemed really into the song. I’ve never really paid attention to this track, but it looks like that’s going to change.

The next track keeps the low-tempo rock tunes coming with Snowfall. I don’t know why I thought this was going to be some sort of down-tempo ballad. Anyways, its more like a rock ballad. The arrangement consists of the drums and the guitar, always a nice combination. Aikawa gave a good vocal performance of course and I like how she sounded so dramatic during the chorus.

The last track on the mini is the up-tempo EVERYBODY GOES. I’m on the fence with this track, because one part of me thinks its a more tamer version of the first track and another part of me finds it endearing. Its your typical loud rock arrangement and though it fits, it seemed to oddly clash with Aikawa’s rather straight-forward vocal performance. I don’t know this song is pretty all right, but its no ‘fly to rainbow ray’ eh, maybe it’ll grow on me.

-GRADE: B
Rating: ** stars

Aikawa Nanase’s third mini album R.U.O.K?! was all right, but nothing new. Aikawa went the rock route with this mini as oppose to the two ballad mini’s she came out with before this and I must say for Aikawa to be such a kick-ass rocker chick her down-tempo’s certainly seem to appeal to me more and its not just because I love ballads, its just her ballads seem to speak to me more than her up-tempo rock tunes. I liked the majority of this mini, but the song that stood out the most to me was, ‘fly to rainbow ray’ and as it stands its the only one I remember. R.U.O.K?! played better than a couple of her full-length album releases, so I’m not complaining too much about the typical-ness of it, but I do wish that it would have left more of an impression, like her ballad mini’s did.

*This is an old review, this is the first of a slew of reviews I did before I decided to go on my hiatus. [April 14th, 2009]