YUKA & CHRONOSHIP

While Yuka & Chronoship is a neo-progressive band, I'd classify this album as primarily symphonic-prog with some distinct aspects of progressive metal and fusion. It's a solid effort, although only a handful of the tracks are distinctive. The rest of the album sounds interchangeable with other current neo-prog offerings.

A glance at the tracklist and a quick sample of the first song may give you some incorrect impressions. For one, as other reviewers have noted, this is primarily an instrumental album, although it opens with a vocal track. This track is the first of seven parts of what appears to be a cohesive suite called "Argo." I preemptively joined these tracks together on my computer so I could enjoy them as a continuous epic. Alas, I had not read the reviews here and didn't realize that these are separate songs, though they certainly do sound like they're from the same album. Two sections of "Argo," "The Ship Argos" and "Landing," are among the strongest tracks here. There are no weak songs.

Overall, very good playing, especially by keyboardist and bandleader Yuka Funakoshi and by guitarist Takashi Miyazawa. Since Ship is good, but not essential, I rate it a three-star album.

This is one where I had to write a review as soon as I could! Before the opening Argo suite of 7 tracks had finished I knew this was a permanent addition to the rotation, and I must hit the back catalogue soon. Yuka is a skilled keyboard player who is throwing a new melody at you every chance she has, although the music reminds me of Camel or Yes, her solos are very Tony Banks style. The band is obviously influenced by Yes, the art on their debut album even appears to be a copy of the current 'Yes font'. Although there are English and Japanese vocals, the majority of the music is instrumental and full of keyboard and guitar solos. The strong melodies are the real highlight, I find these songs stuck in my head all day sometimes. Listen to Old Ship on the Grass and I promise, it will come back. The guitar playing is also incredible throughout, with some cool riffs (Landing) and really fantastic leads (Did You Find A Star? and the solo in Golden Fleece stand out), this player is quite busy while always making sure the focus is back on Yuka by the end.

Absolutely worth hearing if you haven't yet. One of the best 2018 releases I've heard. 4.25 stars,

Very well-recorded and produced heavy Neo Prog with a symphonic flair from Japanese prog keyboard player Yuka Funakoshi and her posse.

The "ARGO" Suite: - 1. "Tears Of Figurehead" (1:55) Sonja Kristina sounds old. (4/5) - 2. "Ship Argos" (6:30) tightly performed Neo Prog with a crisp, heavy edge. The electric guitars are well played if stereotypic for the modern Heavy/Metal prog sound. Yuka's keys and wordless vocals are the highlight of this song for me. (8/10) - 3. "Landing" (5:49) standard heavy Neo Prog with some really great keyboard and rhythm guitar work and some really loud, in your ear kick drum work. Quite a little common ground with Lalo Huber's NEXUS band. (8.5/10) - 4. "Golden Fleece" (5:04) nice set up--reminiscent of URIAH HEEP or even PROCUL HARUM and FOCUS only heavier. Nice organ and lead guitar work. (8.75/10) - 5. "A Dragon That Never Sleeps" (7:09) opens with chunky bass, soon joined by fast pacing drums (in straight time). Nice bass playing and lead guitar work. Best diversity and instrumental displays of the suite. (9/10) - 6. "Islands In The Stream" (3:54) opening with nice acoustic guitar play, bass, drums and vocalise soon join in. Great feel, great mix, great melodies. (9.5/10) - 7. "Return" (2:04) has all of the bombast of a rock opera intro/outro. Nice endpoint. (5/5)

8. "Air Ship Of Jean Giraud" (6:17) a mild tempoed song that tells a story instrumentally, even broken up into "chapters" with shifting themes and dynamics. Quite nice. A show piece for guitarist Takashi Miyazawa fine work. (9/10)

9. "Visible Light" (8:02) Lyrics! Yuka singing! In Japanese! It's good! The "Mellotron" is a bit dated within this mix but it's a good song! Very nice work from drummer Ikko Tanaka and the rhythm guitarist. (8.75/10)

10. "Old Ship On The Grass" (5:01) acoustic guitars (ukelele?) and a bit of a down-home rhythm section over which Yuka's organ plays an almost-polka sound. Kind of hokey but Yuka's piano and scatting in the second half make up for it. (8.25/10)

11. "Did You Find A Star" (9:06) opens with piano and "flute" in a slow, somber pastoral set up. Vocalist Hiroyuki Izuda opens up the singing showing quite some talent and aplomb. Flute gets the next verse before Hiroyuki joins in again. They lose a little momentum during the chorus as Hiroyuki has to resort to "na-na-nas" to complete the space in the melody. A long, soft interlude breaks the song up halfway through before picking up and continuing Sonja Kristina is supposed to be present somewhere here but I can't hear her. (8.75/10)

The Argo suite has the feel of seven songs sequenced together instead of one prog epic. The instrumental work is excellent--especially the keyboards and guitars--but the composition and engineering are a little too much like Arjen Lucassen's prog-by-the-numbers. Also, I can't decide if this is Heavy Prog, Neo Prog, or Symphonic Prog. I think the music suffers from always being played in such straightforward rock time signatures.

Four stars; an excellent addition to any prog lover's music collection.

Yuka Funakoshi studied music in Tokyo, then she delivered 3 albums as a singer-songwriter. In 2003 Yuka founded a band in order to join a record with different formations and six years later she presents Yuka & Chronoship. This was also her current band in the same line-up (featuring very experienced musicians) when she released her debut CD entitled Water Reincarnation in 2011. It contains ten tracks (eight instrumental), the running time is over fifty minutes. The first three compositions strongly evoke famous progrock names.

First Dawn In a Dew ' Chronoship in the vein of mid-Genesis (Wind & Wuthering era) with sparkling synthesizers and fluent electric guitar, along a buzzing Rickenbacker bass.

Then Pilgrim Ocean, after beautiful twanging 12-string acoustic guitars, we can enjoy an accellaration in which the guitar and keyboards reminds me of early Mike Oldfield.

And finally the compelling White Squall, Black Squall, the slide guitar sounds like the second coming of David Gilmour, goose bumps.

In the other seven tracks Yuka & Chronoship showcases more an own identity. And what a variety, from propulsive with fiery guitar runs to mellow with wonderful piano work and even swinging fusion delivering strong interplay between the instruments. Also interesting is the exciting final composition Kiribati that starts with handclapping and acoustic guitar and ends with a mighty guitar solo, loaded with biting leads and propulsive drumming.

To me this album sounds as pleasant progrock in which Yuka colours the music verytasteful with her work on the piano, synthesizers and organ.

My rating: 3,5 star.

Keyboard captain Yuka Funakoshi and her crew of prog sailors embark on another voyage on Ship, yet another concept album. This time, their various mostly-instrumental prog excursions revolve around various types of ship, as the title implies; the major attraction here is the multi-part epic Argo, named for the ship which carried Jason and the Argonauts on their quest for the Golden Fleece - and which was ultimately the death of him, after he'd been ruined by his own hubris.

Still, there's no sign of Yuka and her team succumbing to such faults here - far from resting on their laurels, they continue to produce fresh-sounding instrumental prog which bridge classic prog and modern compositional approaches and performance styles. Curved Air's Sonja Kristina steps in to do guest vocals as the voice of none other than the Argo's figurehead at the start of the album, a welcome sign that the Chronoship crew have won the respect of the prog trailblazers whose wake they sail in.

My first encounter with Japanese artist Yuka Funakoshi, composer and keyboarder. She's heading this project since 2009, alongside with some professional session musicians on bass, drums and guitar. Here we are experiencing her fourth album in the meanwhile. Remarkable, this really hit me by surprise. You will explore tricky, predominantly instrumental and heavy weighed rock songs, which are showing a clear prog signature. State of the art when it comes to the production, but also equipped with a recognizable favour for the 1970's spirit of optimism. This especially concerning Yuka's cool organ and piano presence. And nice to hear Sonja Kristina initially participating with her unquestionably distinct voice.

Soon 'The Argo Suite' continues with the thrilling The Ship Argos though, which features a significant contrast due to a bunch of metal guitar riffs contributed by Takashi Miyazawa. That really works quite well, appealing! Atomic Rooster, Colosseum, ELP, this are somewhat evident references when listening to Yuka Funakoshi furthermore. And A Dragon That Never Sleeps sets the focus more on a fusion fundament. Finally the charming Did You Find A Star? even offers some male vocals by Hiroyuki Izuda. Skilled musicians at work here, recommended! Released via Cherry Red Records this is a really fantastic 60 minutes lasting outcome, which impresses me the more I'm listening.

The 3rd Planetary Chronicles is the third album by Japanese prog band Yuka & Chronoship, featuring keyboardist Yuka Funakoshi as the principal composer and supported by three excellent musicians on drums, bass, and guitar. The album's theme is the development of technology with specific technological advances featured, namely the Stone Age, steam power, flight, radio, and cloning as well as a reference to the concept of a solar-centric solar system and a reference to physics. Like the "Promenade" sequences in Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition", there are short transitional tracks which make up a series entitled "Birth of the Earth". This series concludes with a fully developed track over eight minutes long.

The music is largely lead by Yuka's piano, synthesizer and organ work but plenty of spotlight time goes to guitarist Takashi Miyazawa. The music is for the most part gentle, atmospheric, dynamic, and powerful. There are plenty of swooshing keyboard sounds at the right times, aethereal chorus vocals in parts, and the odd recorded spoken dialogue. Only a couple of tracks have lyrics and they are brief.

The music is very close to western prog bands both past and present but with a touch of that Japanese sense of human spirit. It sounds positive overall despite some of the darker moments. It never gets weird and works well as a companion piece to western prog while still keeping a sense of Japaneseness.

Personally, I find the longer tracks more engaging. The album begins like a misty landscape: you can't see (hear) the full beauty of it yet. For me, the album continues to develop interest as it goes along, and "I Am Thee (Awakening of Cloneroid)", the second last track, quickly became a favourite track out of many great tracks.

I will definitely be checking out their second album in the near future.

Yuka & Chronoship are baaaaack! Caught completely unaware by this fine Japanese band's previous 2013 album, "Dino Rocket Oxygen", I was very skeptical of any kind of future repeat performance and again, I was proven both wrong and foolish. This new album "The Third Planetary Chronicles" is a tremendous piece of modern prog using all the old school techniques with a fresh and vibrant approach that is sure to thrill all progressive rock fans. Yuka is Yuka Funakoshi, a lady keyboard virtuoso who can handle a wide variety of ivories with talent and aplomb, never overtly flashy but very expressive and unafraid to show it. Her piano playing in particular is quietly exquisite, choosing elegant sequences and making the technical look easy in the process. Chronoship are the three seasoned musicians that keep her stoked, probably the finest trio in Japan, led by sensational guitarist Takashi Miyazawa, who positively smokes when asked to do so, aided and abeted by slick bassist Shun Taguchi and tectonic drummer Ikko Tanaka. This is a concept album that goes from the dawn of time, snapping music photographs of milestone events that eventually lead to today and beyond. Technically this is an instrumental opus but what was started on their previous release has now become a hallmark feature that must be immediately identified and illuminated, I am referring to Fuka's voice being multi-tracked as a choir and being liberally used throughout with great effect. This 60s voice style is truly breathtaking as it gives the highly modern sheen (the production is first rate) that organic feel that we can all identify with.

Befitting a concept style, there is a beginning, recurring and ending piano sequence that is ultra-simplistic, even hypnotic but full of emotional gratitude. After the "Birth of The Earth" awakening , we shuffle into "Stone Age" which wastes little time in introducing those sweeping choirs mentioned above, a thoroughly exalting dive into majestic symphonic prog with swirling synthesizers, including a delightful flute patch ascension that really sets the tone remarkably. The tribal drum fills give this a true caveman feel, highly cinematographic and evocative of the conceptual subject. Fuka rips through some spirited soloing that has both pace and substance, leading to another glorious choral passage.

The 2 part "Galileo" suite swoons into the horizon with a first part ("And yet it moves") that seeks to highlight the grand piano as well as a barrage of synths, with some sublime shifts and contrasts, while Part2 "Copernican Theory" revs up the score mightily , as the piano continues its cosmic quest , shouldered by a pulsating drive. Intensely melodic with loads of restraint, you can sense the impending eruption as the synthesizers finally kick in with strong electric guitar support. This piece features some stunning cymbal work from percussionist Tanaka, segueing again into another choral section, egging the delectable piano onward.

After that recurring intermezzo, the epic "Age of Steam" is without question or hesitation, one of the highlight moments here, a simply magnificent piece of symphonic prog. Pastoral acoustic guitar and flute weave to create a dazzling melody, accentuated by a more distinct vocal and choir from Fuka, as the elegant piano takes over before exploding (and I mean exploding, with a churning organ and heavy beat) into a short scorching guitar solo that is way beyond the norm, seething , stirring and growling like some manic beast. Within a few minutes, Fuka saddles her organ and begins to swelter smoothly, slowly urging it towards more and more dissonance and obliqueness, sounding like Kerry Minnear of Gentle Giant fame. The lead guitarist is given another opportunity to shine and he does until the fade out.

Now if that didn't nail you to a cross, the next track will. "Wright Flyer" is taken over by Miyazawa's blistering axe, sliding a metallic phrasing that will turbocharge any propeller, the main choir melody is shatteringly attractive and a soaring acrobatic loop of divine music that only fuels the harpsichord to provide some bucolic release. The ensuing extended guitar solo is one for the ages, loaded with blistering bluster, shrill effects and tortuous finger work that will make you sit up and notice. The choir symphonics' return will provide even more goosebumps and seal the magic.

The effects-laden "On the Radio" serves to perpetuate the concept, where an echoed voice states: 'one thing is certain, the human being should never enter the realm of God'. This leads to another repetitive piano beacon that will ultimately introduce the next chapter "E=c#m", a swelling and manic keyboard manifesto, led by rapid-fire piano ornaments and sprinkled with some whirlwind synth soloing. Our ace guitarist shows off his rather considerable chops once again, blitzing manically with furious determination, a flawless foil for Yuka's ivory romps. This is where the proof of musicianship is indelibly stamped. This is one hell of an accomplished band! Einstein would have been proud.

Time to relax from all the bravado, "I am Thee" explores more exotic horizons, highly moody and affected, adorned by velvety guitar licks and brooding keyboard caresses. There is a sudden acceleration with both choir and instrumental participation, shifting wisps of electronics and that roiling organ once again coming to the fore. A wee angular guitar solo that hints at Vai or Holdsworth, more 'sturm und drang' to keep the heart palpitating. Breathe in the air!

This monumental disc ends with "Birth of the Earth-Embryonic" which serves to recap the concept in one 8 minute + epic finale, with all the usual suspects described above taking a bow. Can't say enough about the effusive piano work here, can't drool enough over the sweeping synthesizers, the majestic melodies and the engrossing choral passages that give this release so much depth and suspense. The electric guitar is sensational, the bass/drums are powerful, confident and bold.

Like in a great sci-fi movie, the insistent piano coda sears itself into the mind. And then, silence?.

5 universal archives

Japanese band YUKA & CHRONOSHIP was formed in 2009, and I understand that the band at least initially mainly was the creative vehicle of composer, vocalist and musician Yuka Funakoshi, the remaining members of the band mainly renowned as highly skilled and talented studio musicians. The band have three studio albums to their name so far. "The 3rd Planetary Chronicles" is the most recent of these, and was released through UK label Cherry Red Records in the fall of 2015.

As one might suspect from the title of this CD, this album is one that explores a set theme or concept, in this case the history of the Earth from the stone age and, I guess, well into the future. As I'm working with a digital version of this production I don't know how well this concept is outlined, and as this is a mostly instrumental production the songs themselves do not indicate strongly how far reaching the concept is either, other than the name of the songs indicating that these chronicles cover ages past, present as well as yet to be.

Similar to a steadily increasing number of artists, Yuka & Chronoship appears to have chosen a take on progressive rock that isn't easily placed inside any of the subsections of the progressive rock universe. They come across as a unit that have well thought out ideas about what sounds and effects to use at any given time, and use them without any thought on how the various details or the sheer totality of them fits into a context or not. As such, this isn't a band to seek out if your taste in music is towards a band that stays put within a narrowly defined corner of the progressive rock universe.

A recurring feature throughout is the use of the piano to provide core motifs, more often than not in the shape of delicate, wandering patterns that only gets to dominate whenever the composition in question hone in on the more sparsely arranged, fragile moments, and is otherwise more of a supplemental feature adding a delicate presence to the proceedings. Another recurring feature is the use of Yuka's vocals as a nonverbal, atmospheric textures, basically the voice used as an additional instrument. This gives the songs an almost sacral, organic presence that can be mesmerizingly beautiful, and those who tend to enjoy such effects can note down this production as a must buy due to this detail alone.

Otherwise the compositions alternate between multiple and different types of stylistic expressions, as regarded from within a progressive rock context admittedly, with subtle references to bands like Pink Floyd, Camel and arguably Genesis as well tucked into the brew, with compositions that range from pastoral oriented fragile sequences to dramatic neo progressive rock in general style, but also with room for some cinematic interludes and occasional lapses into jazzrock and funk-flavored sequences as a natural part of the proceedings.

The end result is a distinctly modern sounding take on progressive rock, a fairly eclectic album but also one that maintains an accessible sound and atmosphere throughout, with occasional nods towards some of the great names in the annals of the genre as, perhaps, something of an incidental feature. When that is said, the manner in which this production unfolds and the general nature of the material makes me suspect that those with a taste for 80's and 90's neo progressive rock might be something of a key audience for this CD, alongside symphonic progressive rock fans with a something of a liberal taste and a certain affection for skilled, contemporary bands in general.

Yuka and Chronoship passed by my progressive radar and I did not pick up the blip, shame on me. So, my delightful Aussie-Byrd-Brother friend and colleague then wrote a definite review that managed to seduce me (which is the whole point of reading his reviews) into delving further into this unique package. And what a deal this is, a rollicking adventure of instrumental cheek, very retro at times, a cinematographic travelling circus of sounds and images. It turns out that this may be the best Japanese prog recording (with all due respect to KBB- Four Corners' Sky) ever! At least to my finicky tastes. First of all, it's brilliantly constructed with three segments that have mini-suite tendencies. Dino is for the 3 part Dinosaur's suite, R is for Rocket, owner of 5 booming pieces while the Oxygen section comprises of three acts. The instrumental crew is composed of the talented Yuka Funakoshi on Keyboard & Vocal, Takashi Miyazawa - Guitar & Choir, Shun Taguchi - Bass & Choir and Ikko Tanaka ? Drums. They are all most accomplished technicians who have a deep sense of feeling as well.

The pre-historic monster suite kicks off stubbornly with a swirling tempest of mellotron eerily reminiscent of "Watchers of the Skies" by the Genesis crew, eventually blending in various synthesized twirls as well as other keyboard compliments. If you are going to wear your influences, well, wear them well! Bombast, grandiosity, pomp and utter ceremony. The mood on the 7 minute + "Which Came First, The Dinosaur or the Egg? "is appropriately grandiloquent, explosive and lavish, Yuka displaying a Jürgen Fritz-like talent on a wide variety of ivories, allied with some sizzling guitar rants , a thundering bass guitar rambling and some seriously precision-tooled drums. There is in fact more similarities to classic Triumvirat than anything else, Yuka has that fluid knack for melody and technique that seemingly comes very easily (wish I could be born with such a gift!). At times, playful, adventurous, creative with a little dose of insanity, the suite travels over many glittering musical horizons. Miyazawa allows his axe to run riot, bending, molding and flickering like some man on a mission. "Ruler of Earth" keeps the tension on full throttle, Yuka provides extraordinary piano work once again, showcasing technique, virtuosity and command. This has a blues tinge that becomes obvious with the Gilmourian solo (a stunner), playing tag with the synthesizer. This asteroid ends the dinosaur section (sic!). Aptly titled, the Ray Bradbury dedicated Rocket suite has a different attitude, booster- powered prog engines are given a brief countdown and then 'Lift-off!'! "Cutting Gravity" follows its mission command orders and blasts into space with aplomb and grandiloquence. Nervous, fiery, explosive, the jet-propelled players really unleash speed and power in perfect harmony and interlocking instrumentation. The finale with the impulsive drumming, the rattling bass and the crazed guitar riffing is phenomenal. Once the Chronoship has attained its orbital sequence, the mood becomes more contemplative, as "Skygazer" permits a gentler conceptualization, a breezy choir-led travelogue that has a definite retro early 70s feel, with harmony "lalala' singing that is thoroughly enchanting and sorely missed in today's often over technical displays. The piece ends with a smart lullaby you will all recognize. Super cute! A brief snippet of classical music, someone walking, an acoustic guitar twinkling a la Steve Howe., "An Arrow of Glittering Music" only serves to announce the impending arrival of the "Blue Astronaut Helicopter", a deliriously fabulous synthesizer workout that mirrors the swirling swoosh of the rotors, keeping the Sea King airborne, as it scoops the beleaguered astronauts out of the salty brine. On "Beyond the Fence" they go rollicking along undaunted, the groove is relentless, upbeat and melodically astute, to the point of surprise as the ingenious vocoder (I am rarely a fan of this contraption) 'how-hows' with the piano. Yuka delivers a heartfelt little vocal that only further seduces. There is a slight nod to the Buggles, "I Love You, Miss Robot" in the overall experimental feel.

"Oxygen" is the final chapter, a nearly 19 minute extravaganza that will take your breath away (pun!) and it kicks off with a near calypso beat, marimba styles keys, raspy guitar shoots through like some tropical storm, and the bass and drum crew get to do the polyrhythmic thingy. Bubbling, overpowering and driven, the mood just intoxicates further into submission. Lot of overt winks at Wakeman and co?as there is little doubt that Yuka has spent many hours at the piano, learning the need for lyrical beauty and not just technical form, "O2" is her spotlight showcase, easily formulating bright sounds and captivating melodies that actually visualize the music perfectly. The bombast offers up contrast (hmm, that rhymed!), windswept eloquence, magical swooning to brooding shimmer, all the fluent elements are there! "O3" resupplies the breezy, high-pitched vocals (though they act as an instrument, really), fueling both the brash guitar rampage and the pushy beat to conclusive heights. Military snare drums, spooky synths loops, odd voice effects keep the flow ongoing, a sweet musical hiss filled with creative adjuncts. An album that ends on choir mellotron generally gets me something fierce, being a sheer sucker for that glorious sound. A tremendous instrumental display, easily a classic. I actually like the 'faux Dean' cover art, it's blue-ish sheen permeates the tracks.

4.5 T-Rex booster air bubbles