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Tracklist | |
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01 - Itterasshai 02 - Imagination 03 - Tourist On The Mirai'n 04 - Mellotron 05 - Y.S.G.R 06 - Imi ga Nai 07 - Time Loss 08 - Kodama 09 - 5716 10 - Folklore 11 - Don't you Know 12 - Okaeri |
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Review | |
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Clammbon's Imagination starts with "Itterasshai", a phrase said in Japanese when a family member is leaving the house, and ends with "Okaeri", roughly translated to "Welcome Home", implying that the band wants to send the listener on a journey into the imagination. While mileage may vary, with a work as evocative and sweeping, yet personal, as Imagination, it's not hard to get caught up. Clammbon's bassist Mito writes all the songs for the band, and it shows on this album. While there are certainly advantages and disadvantages to having a single songwriter in a band, it does nothing but help Clammbon, lending a cohesion and direction to their songs, allowing for precise buildups and cutoffs that many jazz-influenced bands seem to lack. This lends the album a distinctive energy, despite its soft, spacey atmosphere. The first full song on the album, "Imagination" starts with soft, casually plucked guitar, then slowly builds, adding bells, a syncopated drum part, and finally singer/keyboardist Harada Ikuko's vocals. As Harada calls passionately for us to use our imagination, her sparse yet ethereal keyboard part sets the mood for not only the song, but the rest of the album. And just as the drums accelerate, pushing the song to its climax, it ends abruptly, leaving you hanging for the next song, "Tourist on the Mirai'n". While the mood of "Tourist" is still given an atmospheric tinge by the reverb-drenched piano and acoustic guitar, straightforward drums punctuated by the piano strike a sharp contrast to the syncopated "Imagination". The overall high point of the album is "Y.S.G.R.". The piece starts with a simple three note bass part, soon followed by hi-hat hits and a harmonica which is featured prominently throughout the song. Shortly after, Harada enters, halfway between singing and talking, a contrast to the rest of the album where she demonstrates impressive vocal range. About a minute in, the drums finally enter so smoothly that every time I hear the song I can't help but start nodding. One of Clammbon's strong points are their bridges, where the vocals drop out and the band is free to go crazy on their instruments. In "Y.S.G.R.", Clammbon is at their best, with a harmonica solo accented by piano stabs that suddenly ends, leaving only the bass, then suddenly returns to the verse. There are some low points in "Imi ga Nai", a reckless venture into electronica, and "Mellotron", where layer after layer of sound piles up until the individual parts can't be separated anymore. However, although I don't particularly like these songs, they are listenable and don't interrupt the flow of the album too much. Overall, Imagination is a great album, with nearly every song demonstrating Clammbon's musicianship and Mito's songwriting prowess. It carves out an atmosphere that wraps up the listener, but the energy never stops, preventing it from getting boring. So basically, if you're a fan of intelligent pop, go pick up Imagination, you'll love it. Itterasshai! |
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