SHONENTACHI E NO CHIKYUSANKA

Choir and percussion open the album with a Kyrie Eleison (this is the title of the first track). So the mood is set to the Africa of the christian missions., like in Pink Floyd's "Absolutely Curtains". The very African accent of the lead singer is remarkable. If it wasn't for the female voices, there are no clues of it being a Japanese band.

It's on the 3rd track that the female lead vocalist reveals her heritage, even if the music is still very "African" and "tribal": a repetitive choir with no percussion on major chords.

I don't know what "Yando" means, but track 4 sounds like a tribal rite. For the first time a wind instrument is added, so not only percussion. It could be from any part of the world, not Africa only. The subtitle says, if Google is right, "Silk Road Medley".

Not only Christians: the next track is translated as "by the power of Jehovah us, we sincerely love thee free", and effectively this choir doesn't sound African. I don't know if there's a proper "Jewish religious music", but if it exists, this should be how it sounds. Not too different from ancient catholic chants.

"Song of Horsemen", probably for the title's argument, sounds quite British, even if the lyrics are everyting but English. Choir only also this.

Back to Asia, I suppose, with "Gengis Khan Hymn", another male choir, which is followed by a female choir which to my ears reminds to the Bulgarian choir tradition.

Piano appears for the first time in a track whose title Google was unable to translate. It's a sort of American song of the 30s which I think is sung in Japanese. A nice interlude after all the choral music. But piano introduces also the following track which is very good, still "retro" as the previous one. Short and sweet. The piano doesn't go away. Track 11 (Lunch) is another short joke for piano and choir, and is followed by a sweet melodic tune for piano and choir. It's like he soundtrack of a Disney movie of the 30s, like Snowy White or the Sleeping Beauty...not Dumbo, luckily.

On Track 13 there's a complete band. Imagine a Japanese choir singing on the main title of an American western movie of the 60s mixed with the brasses of Anime soundtrack like "Jeeg Robot". Then, unexpectedly, the 14th song is opened by an electric guitar. The song is very "Japanese pop", but keep an ear on the bass. The bass opens also the next one which is the most Avant oriented of the album, with changes of rhythm, a general dark mood, but very melodic in the choir. Probably too much melodic.

Now the strange thing: the tracklist says 16 tracks, but effectively they are 17. I think that the 16th may have been unreferenced (the - sign between track 15 and 16 in the tracklist). Anyway it's just another pop song. Not bad but nothing special.

Finally we have an interesting track. Hibiki (Whisky) is opened by percussion and followed by a "mute" choir on minor chords. Bells and electronic sounds surround what I think is best track of the whole album.

So, half good and half tasteless, this album has some good moments but it's surely not one of the best outputs of the Geinoh ensemble.

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