7/6/11 Releases (Part 2): SHERBETS, Nega, Higashida Tomohiro, LITE, Noanowa

When I wrote my first review for the week, I'd only been able to listen to about half the music on my list, and I thought that it was more than a little depressing that only two pieces stood out from the crowd. To be honest, I wasn't much looking forward to listening to the second half of my list, because it just seemed like it would be a boring, painful trial.

I won't lie - some of the music wasn't a walk in the park, and there were a couple of albums that I wound up skipping because, after 4 straight tracks of bad music, I wasn't willing to listen to the other 6-8. However, quite a lot of it surprised me with how good it is. Most of this set is what I would call "Michi Music," after the ex-boyfriend that had the best taste in relaxed alternative music, and I was happy to take a mini vacation from rock and let my mind wander.

Noanowa, "Hi! How Are You?"
Single, Alternative

This single is small and fun and different as you'd expect from Noanowa. It opens with the fun and happy "Have a Good Day!" then moves into the synthy "Namida Porori" that has a bit of a "Galaxy Express" anime feeling. "Peek-a-Boo" is more bouncy and fun again. "Everynight" soars with long notes on the keyboard and quick picks on the guitar to keep it moving. "Calling" is more calm, with delicate violin and cello counterbalanced with strong vocals. As good as the music is, though, my favorite part about this single is the lack of instrumentals, karaoke versions, and all the rest of that ridiculous filler that's on so many other singles. (I'm looking at you, Itano Tomomi!) I find myself wishing that there was more variety of sound, like there was on "Magical Circus," but other than that one nit-picky point, this single is wonderful.

SHERBETS, "FREE"
Album, Alternative

This is one of the most chill albums that I've ever heard, with soft acoustic guitar, pretty piano and keyboard touches, and sinple drum lines that keep the beat clean and lean. I'm particularly in love with the gentle "Lydia and David," but the whole album has a lot to offer: "Kore Ijou Itte ha Ikenai" is jazzy and upbeat, but quiet; "LOVE BEAN" has a beautiful interplay between the keyboard and the cerebral, echoing guitar; "Aoi Sunglass" feels almost too quiet, shimmering with subterfuge. There are a few tracks that pet peeve me - "Motor Blitz Breakers" has more of a rock flavor that interrupts the atmosphere of the album, and "Nothing For All" uses horrible synthed strings - but there's more good than bad. This is my go-to relaxation album right now - a great album to listen to while looking at the stars and drinking scotch on the rocks.

Higashida Tomohiro, "AROUND THE WORLD"
Album, Alternative

If "FREE" is a stare-at-the-stars-and-drink-scotch album, "AROUND THE WORLD" is an after-party-with-close-friends-and-bourbon album. It's a little more upbeat and "fast," but is still remains firmly in the chill music department. The title track gets the album off on a good foot with a steady, head-nod-able beat. There are a few more of those faster songs - "ROCK N' ROLL" (a little classic rock for my taste, but not bad), "Still Crazy," and "HEY MY BROTHER" are several of the best - but the album is mostly slower songs with minimal drum, finger-picked acoustic guitar, and the occasional synthesizer ("LAST SONG," "Cafe," "Nomad") or cello ("Tasogare no Waltz"). Overall, there's not a lot to complain about with this album but the length: it's only 9 tracks long with an average track length under 5 minutes, and two tracks fully under 4 minutes. Although I prefer to see closer to an hour of music on an album, "AROUND THE WORLD" at least has the quality to get make up for it.

LITE, "For all the innocence"
Album, Alternative/Instrumental

"For all the innocence" has the same length problem that "AROUND THE WORLD" does, but it also makes up for it with quality. Here we're out of the "chill" music; instead, the entire album is energetic instrumental electronic music. I'm in love! This is obviously not everyone's tasty cup of sencha, but it's worth a listen if you think you can handle not having lyrics. The opening, "Another World," shines with electronic instruments playing together with more traditional instruments (including some kick-ass bass) and nature sounds, then moves into "Red Horse in Blue," which soars with energy, carried along by electric guitar. Unfortunately, the album falls a little in the middle for being a bit too repetitious, but there's still some interesting stuff going on musically. It regains its footing toward the end with "Duck Follows an Eccentric," "7day Cicada," and "Mute Wale." If this were any other genre of music I probably wouldn't have given it a spot when several of the tracks were less strong than the others, but "For all the innocence" has such a different style compared with everything else out there and it's all so well-executed that I had to include it. I'm really looking forward to hearing more from LITE.