Ooh, shiny!
Written: Aug 17 '06 (Updated Aug 17 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Lovely composition, great vocals, all-around good music.
Cons: Occasional similarity amongst tracks.
The Bottom Line: It's not perfect, but GARNET CROW's third album provides a very lovely listen.
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| shimatani87's Full Review: Crystallize by Garnet Crow |
In the tradition of Japanese bands with strange-sounding, two-or-three word English names (see the brilliant green or Janne Da Arc), I bring to you, my readers, the pleasantly-different group known as GARNET CROW. Comprised of four members -- vocalist/composer Yuri Nakamura, keyboardist/lyricist Nana Azuki, keyboardist/arranger Hirohito Furui, and guitarist Hitoshi Okamoto -- the group has often been called the "anti-avex" with their focus on quality of music rather than quantity of releases and amount of popularity.
First appearing on the scene in late 1999, the group released an independent mini-album which attracted much critical acclaim, leading to a major-label deal with GIZA Studio shortly thereafter. They have released, to date, four studio albums, one best-of, twenty-two singles, three DVDs, and a remix album. Several of their singles have been used for anime theme songs, including their biggest hit yume mita ato de. Crystallize ~kimi to iu hikari~ is the band’s third album, released in late 2003.
Sure, the group’s music is still little more than traditional pop and rock sensibilities performed by a rather attractive (in this case, female) vocalist, but GARNET CROW’s unique composition, introspective, interesting lyrics and memorable melodies are part of what make them such a remarkable group. The other part of that lies with the vocal abilities of Nakamura, whose voice is raw, emotional, and pitched in a lower register than that of most other Japanese women, making for a rather different-sounding style of music if one is used to the stereotypical helium-enhanced voices of other female Japanese singers.
Perhaps the biggest complaint I can raise about this album is that the material is almost too consistent. The band does what they do – make intriguing, catchy, and sometimes thought-provoking pop music – well, but there are times throughout the album that I began to think that I’d heard a particular snippet of melody or composition before, as is the case with the album’s opening track kyou no kimi to asu wo matsu and nakenai yoru mo nakanai asa mo, one of their singles: the tracks have their own musical identity and are easily identifiable as different songs, but there are several discernable similarities that make for a bit of déjà vu.
However, the album has a lot more going for it, and those high points easily outweigh any little quibbles I may have. Even with similarities amongst some tracks, the band has done a great job with creating an album filled with wonderfully-produced pop music. There’s a bit of everything here, and whether you enjoy more lighthearted, whimsical music (the acoustic-and-keyboard-lite piece CRYSTAL GAUGE), slightly dramatic-sounding, techno-influenced material (Endless Desire), acoustic flair with a slight rock flavor (SPIRAL), or more traditional-sounding, gentle acoustic pieces (the album’s ballad-styled title track kimi to iu hikari), the album never fails to truly impress; I have to give the band high praise, as well, for turning in a rather lovely performance on the classical-throwback Marionette Fantasia, which uses everything from a waltz-time beat, light, lilting instrumentation and a rather mournful performance from Nakamura to transport the listener back into a simpler time. It’s truly a lovely piece of work.
So, while the album does have its occasional demerits, there’s really little to complain about. The record is solid, containing some of the best acoustic-pop-rock music produced in the past few years. GARNET CROW manages to impress once again.
GARNET CROW: "Crystallize ~kimi to iu hikari~"
[ CDA | GZCA-5038 | ¥3,059 | 2003.11.12 ]
01. kyou no kimi to asu wo matsu [ 5:09 ]
02. kimi to iu hikari [ 5:10 ]
03. SPIRAL [ 4:07 ]
04. nakenai yoru mo nakanai asa mo [ 4:10 ]
05. CRYSTAL GAUGE [ 3:25 ]
06. Marionette Fantasia [ 4:52 ]
07. eien wo kakenukeru isshun no bokura [ 4:15 ]
08. Endless Desire [ 4:40 ]
09. nogare no machi [ 3:09 ]
10. Only Stay [ 4:35 ]
11. koi suru koto shika dekinai mitai ni [ 4:36 ]
12. yume mito ato de -lightin' grooves True meaning of love mix- [ 4:55 ]
[ http://www.garnetcrow.com ]
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
shimatani87
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Member: Zach Jones
Location: Urbana, IL
Reviews written: 117
Trusted by: 17 members
About Me:
St. Louis-bound graduate student with a passion for pop.
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