2 posts tagged “inoran”
This is the former LUNA SEA guitarist’s fifth original album, coming a little over a year after his last one, Niraikanai. With such a provocative name, it’s hard to know what to expect. But if you were paying attention, two full songs were uploaded on the special site for the album in advance. In a way, they helped with the expectations, but there were still a few surprises…
INORAN
apocalypse
Genre: rock, pop, alternative
Release Date: 09-24-08
Price: 2665 ¥
Label/Distributor: King Records
Tracks: 13
01 The beginning and the end
02 Cheval’s palace is here
03 I’ll
04 Rightaway
05 Senneka 千年花
06 Hydrangea
07 Between eyes #1
08 Regret
09 Toki no souretsu 時の葬列
10 Between eyes #2
11 9th
12 Between eyes#3
13 Let me down
Like he is often wont to do, the first song is simply an intro. It has a bit of a hip-hop sound and turntables. It goes right into “Cheval’s palace is here”, which is probably the most interesting title on the album. It’s a pretty typical sort of Inoran song, full of low bass and complicated soundscapes. I love how he says the title though, it flows really nicely somehow. And an interesting note…Ferdinand Cheval was a French postman who spent 33 years of his life building his “ideal palace” by himself. At one point, Inoran sings “Cheval’s palace in me”, and I honestly can’t think of a more poignant lyric. It ends with some turntable effects, something that never seems out of place in his songs, no matter where they are. The next track, “I’ll” is a funky rock song with blues-inspired guitar riffs. Long, but not particularly catchy. “Rightaway” was one of the songs made available on the album’s site. It combines a mostly mellow rock track with some heavier riffs interspersed throughout. Unlike the previous song, the chorus is plenty catchy. Also made available on the site, “Senneka” was a PV too. I’d describe it as mellow, uplifting and majestic, with an excellent string section that never overwhelms. I love how the ending is an unfinished phrase and simply features Inoran on vocals as all instruments stop behind him. At the halfway point of the album, we get “Hydrangea”, and this song alone would be worth the entire album. From the harpsichord intro to the clapping and chanted background vocals, and Inoran’s own commanding vocal line as well. I can’t begin to describe what an amazing soundscape this song is, so I’ll stop here and suggest that if you only listen to one song on this album, let this be it.
The intermission track “Between eyes #1″ starts off the second half of the album. It’s simply a bit of funky ambiance leading into “Regret”. This song feels a little alternative rock to me. I particularly like Inoran’s tightly controlled falsetto in the chorus. It comes off of a nice progression. Next up is “Toki no souretsu”. This is probably the ballad, with a very simple arrangement and Inoran’s vocals slightly hidden behind a distorter for the entire song. Another intermission follows, cleverly titled “Between eyes #2″. Then comes the 11th track, “9th”. It’s a bright, and yes, still mellow rock track, despite its uptempo-ness. And yes, you might have guessed, “Between eyes #3″ comes right after. This brings us to the final track, “Let me down”. Supposedly there was an R&B song on this album, I can’t figure that out, but this might be it, as it does have a mildly gospel feel with the background vocals. The violin solo is also quite nice, not overbearing. I’ve always liked Inoran’s use of strings, to be honest. I also like that the album ender is fairly catchy.
Now, normally I’d have a problem with four out of thirteen tracks being essentially intros/intermissions, but since the rest of the tracks are so strong, it’s easy to overlook. The first half of the album was probably stronger, containing Cheval’s palace, Rightaway, Senneka and of course, Hydrangea. While the second half has all three intermission tracks, the simple Toki no souretsu and a few other less standout tracks. But oddly the more bland second half does absolutely nothing to diminish how fantastic the first half was. In fact, it just makes you want to press repeat. And I have, several times. On one hand, this is still definitely Inoran’s sound, but on the other, this is such an album album, if you know what I mean. Everything fits into one whole piece.
Final Word: Dark and uplifting all at once. ★★★★★
Key:
★★★★★ = Excellent, flawless, perfecto
★★★★☆ = Very good, has some minor flaws
★★★☆☆ = Good, maybe a few boring moments, but overall enjoyable
★★☆☆☆ = Fair, bad outweighs the good
★☆☆☆☆ = Poor, possibly offensive to your ears
I've always liked Inoran. Especially when I was obsessed with Luna Sea. I'm not sure what it was. His understated, quiet presence onstage, his decision to play rhythm, even though he was one of the original founding members of the band (along with J), or how subtly intricate his rhythm playing actually is.
When Luna Sea disbanded, I sort of tried some solo stuff here and there. That included Fake? and eventually Tourbillon. I never liked either of them. The latter, especially was terribly boring. I initially felt the same way about Inoran's first solo album, Fragment. Well, technically second, but since his actual first one didn't have him singing, I don't really count it.
Flash forward a few years to 2007, and Luna Sea has reunited for at least one concert in the Tokyo Dome on Christmas Eve. I fell in love all over again. After dusting off all my Luna Sea albums, I finally gave J's solo the chance it deserved, and I gave Inoran's solo another chance. He'd released two more albums since I last listened, including one just this last year. Niraikanai was what I heard first, and then Photograph. It hadn't really changed since I first heard it, but I was hearing it differently, I think. And even this time, I nearly dismissed it again. Until, despite twice the amount of J listens, it was Inoran stuck in my head. I tend to pay attention to music that sticks in my head. It means that it grabbed me, even if only subconsciously.
His solo music is...different. That's the only word I can think of. It has layers, lots of them, but it also has simplicity. Especially in Inoran's singing. Nothing he does is particularly challenging vocally, but that's alright, because it's catchy, and his voice is just like his stage presence. Simple and understated. It's on the low side, not nasal, and with a pleasant raspy quality. Inoran's only problems are range, which may or may not be fixable, it's hard to tell, since he definitely knows where he's comfortable. And the other one is he doesn't open his mouth very wide, which affects his power and projection a bit, and gives his voice that drawling quality. It's a bit weird it doesn't seem to affect his enunciation however, he's very clear there for the most part. And he's actually gotten a lot better at that of late.
But otherwise, his pitch is on, he's hitting the right notes, his breathing is fine, and he's not absurdly nasal. Soulful, I like to call it. Or folksy works too.
It also goes well with the music, which is...as I said, different. It has elements of nearly everything. Rock, jazz, hip-hop, traditional Japanese, soul, folk, and probably more I'm forgetting. He also has probably the best use of turntables I've ever heard. Too often they're used in rock music as an attempt to sound "hip" so to speak, but he makes them make sense musically. They become more of a percussive, rhythm thing as opposed to just a sound effect.
When you compare his solo music with what he composed in Luna Sea, there are some definite similarities. Just look, for instance, how easily he performs Gravity, a song he wrote. But there are other things. The length. His songs for Luna Sea were often over five minutes, his solo stuff is the same. Acoustic guitar is also prevalent, and he seems almost more comfortable on that than he does the electric. His music also tended to have a very dominant bassline, and his solo is no different. There's a very strong groove in nearly every song. The low end and rhythms are often what you remember. And yet, he also has an incredible sense of melody. His songs are extremely catchy, even after only one listen.
As a solo performer, he is probably more magnetic than he was as the rhythm guitarist of Luna Sea. He doesn't even look lost without a guitar, as a lot of instrumentalists-turned-soloists do.
As a person, he seems very serious and more dedicated to music than anything else. Just look how many projects he had after Luna Sea. His own solo, Fake?, Tourbillon, and now he's back to more solo. I can't say I have much affection towards the other two though. Maybe because it's not solely him. His music, as quiet and understated, yet tightly composed as it is, is one of those rare things that doesn't leave, once you let it in.
