GARNET CROW, who until recently I had mostly ignored, is a group that takes time to appreciate. Although many claim that their music -- a mixture of breezy acoustic pop and mysterious, ethereal styles -- has become repetitive and same-sounding over the years, underneath the shiny veneer are layers of untold stories, complexly-beautiful melodies, and intriguing vocals that make each and every song unique.

THE TWILIGHT VALLEY, the band's fifth album, collects the five previously-released single A-sides and spreads them evenly amongst nine new tracks. The single tracks are varied enough in their musicality that while they may stand out at times from the rest of the album's material, they aren't distracting. The album, as a whole, is easier to listen through than several of the band's earlier works, simply because the tracks are more varied in their arrangements, melodies, and vocal performances than ever before. Yuri Nakamura, vocalist, has always been enchanting because of her lower-pitched vocal, and she uses it to its utmost here, pouring her soul into (almost) every performance; her compositions have gained something they lost in previous albums as well, as there's a sense that each song here was hand-crafted with thought and originality as to avoid filler. The band -- guitarist Hitoshi Okamoto and keyboardists Nana Azuki and Hirohito Furui -- also rise to the occasion, turning in performances that create songs that transcend the "pop" genre and place the band in a category of their own: yes, they're pop, but there's something about GARNET CROW that's uniquely theirs.

maboroshi, originally a muted, restrained "dreamscape" piece led by acoustic guitar and a very soft steel-drum line, appears here in a rearranged form. It still maintains the thoughtful, mysterious nature of its earlier incarnation, but adds a couple more things to the mix. While there's still hints of the earlier incarnation's guitar and lightly-twinkling keyboard, arranger Fururi adds in a mechanical sounding drum/clap track and mutes the airy background vocals so that everything comes together in a well-done mishmash of dreamy, mechanical simplicity. Although some have raised objections to tinkering with the original mix, the version presented here takes the original and improves upon it rather than screwing it up.

yume hanabi sees the band turning in a direction I believe they've only gone once or twice before. An emotionally-charged Nakamura cries out "Ti amo..." before the song roars in, a Latin-flavored beast that rides on the strength of its growling guitar lines, fast-paced steel-and-ethnic drum part, some form of flute, and Azuki's ever-present keyboard, which she gets to slide backward down at the start of the chorus (a technique that always makes me envious). Nakamura's performance rides with the song, remaining low-key but forceful during the verses and strident-and-determined in the chorus, whose final echoes of "yu...me hana...bi" are both memorable and chilling. The way the song comes full-circle -- winding down to silence as Nakamura recites an English part ending with another chilling call of "Ti amo..." also gains the song points, as it's impressively-done and doesn't feel forced.

MARGINAL MAN starts out like many a GARNET CROW song: a rousing guitar line underscored by drum and a keyboard line, but then descends into a more restrained arrangement that puts everything into a more understated tone: the guitar's simply repeating a riff, while the drum chimes in intermittently and the keyboard drifts between two or three different notes to keep pace. It's hardly original, but in the context of the band's discography, works well to differentiate the song from many that sound familiar. The song hits its stride, however, in the chorus, where everything comes together and blends into one of those pop song backings that sounds familiar but who cares because the vocal line takes prominence? Nakamura's performance here is playful and fun as she runs through the lines without ever falling into seriousness as she has a tendency to do. Although not really containing a hook, the first line of the chorus ("machi wo yuki yo MARGINAL MAN") is catchy and memorable enough that it makes the song all that more enjoyable.

Yellow Moon descends into "slightly more-serious mode" with its aching, emotional opening electric guitar line which then proceeds to underscore the song along with a simple drum line. Nakamura's vocal is pained as she launches into the chorus, using her higher register well -- although it's obviously not as strong as her lower range and slightly hard on the ears at times. The verses of the song, which serve mainly as an oasis in the madness, are backed by emotive keyboard and an acoustic part, although they don't completely lose the intensity of the rest of the song. Nakamura tones things down a bit there, but she never loses her stride. Okamoto's guitar solo in between the chorus and second verse is determined and well-done, only adding to the song's goodness.

Album ending track WEEKEND sees the band take a slower pace, opening with a wonderfully-beautiful keyboard line mingled in with enchanting ghostly backing vocals and a violin thrown in for good measure. Nakamura's vocal is softer but never loses the edge she always carries, especially in the chorus, where everything is ramped up: the guitar gets louder, the drums chime in harder, and Nakamura's vocal takes a turn for the better as she puts more emotion into her performance -- not that during the verses she's flat and boring, but she tends to be slightly less-interesting when she's just singing straight. The song works and brings the album to a fine, peaceful close.

In the end, I find myself easily recommending GARNET CROW's newest album for the sheer fact that the group has put together a collection of songs that covers a fine range of genres while still maintaining the air of mystery and individuality that has separated them from other Japanese groups. While there are certainly a few stumbling blocks (koyoi EDEN no katasumi de is probably one of the most generic-sounding and lazy songs the band's ever put out; rai rai ya is interesting and well-done but ends abruptly and is far too short), the album holds together well and displays the band at their best, once again.

GARNET CROW: "THE TWILIGHT VALLEY"
[ CDA | GZCA-5092 | ¥3,059 | 2006.10.04 ]
[ CD+DVD | GZCA-5091 | ¥3,500 | 2006.10.04 | Ltd ]

01. Anywhere [ 4:41 ]
02. maboroshi ~Album arr.~ [ 4:17 ]
03. koyoi EDEN no katasumi de [ 4:34 ]
04. Rusty Rail [ 3:45 ]
05. yume hanabi [ 4:01 ]
06. kakurenbo [ 3:22 ]
07. himawari no iro [ 5:03 ]
08. haredokei [ 4:13 ]
09. MARGINAL MAN [ 4:10 ]
10. rai rai ya [ 3:23 ]
11. Yellow Moon [ 4:21 ]
12. mou chotto SAGASHI TE mimashou [ 4:17 ]
13. haru matsu hana no you ni [ 4:54 ]
14. WEEKEND [ 4:38 ]

[ http://www.garnetcrow.com ]

Other GARNET CROW Reviews:

Crystallize ~kimi to iu hikari~ (2003)

Recommended: Yes