Asian Kung-Fu Generation: Sol-fa
Well, I just got back from the job interview and can say that i got the job. I am now going to be a machinist and put my degree to use. Because of this, i will continue to scratch off my essential albums and today will be Asian Kung-Fu Generation’s most popular album Sol-fa. It is a very good piece that i play numerous times when i am teaching class. It will be good to finally get this out to you and see how it fits on here.
Shindokaku: This song starts the album off with some energetic punk riffs and slowly warms up the listener with a good amount of energy. Every instrument sticks out nicely in the mix and you will have plenty of opportunity to appreciate what each member of the band brings to the table. The backing harmonies are subtle but give the vocals a very cheery lift and should put the listener in a very relaxed mood. It will be a finely balanced piece to ease into a workout and establish a good pace before going further into the mix. The vocals are very strong and develop their unique style of delivery with a positive effect. It accentuates the instrumentals nicely and will prove to be a very successful piece for opening this album with. 8.5/10
Rewrite: This is a single and one of the band’s most well known tracks and was featured on the anime Fullmetal Alchemist. These guys definitely got a good degree of recognition from their appearances on notable animes. It is actually rather smart for getting their name out into the western world. The guitars begin with their soothing punk vibe again and smoothly establishes a relaxing atmosphere while still keeping a good degree of energy going. The vocals begin with a very relaxed delivery and gradually grow more tense and energetic as the song progresses. The chorus is especially talented and will do well in getting the listener motivated to get up and get moving. It’d be a great biking or driving song and will help you to get a lot out of your workout. The instrumentals are well spaced when they need to be and make the relaxed nature of the vocals retain a rather honest feeling about them. The instrumentals stick out very well with their effects and indie styled segments. The slow section allows for the bass to show off some of its talent and work well under the aggressive drumming. This is a great song to see being done live and is a highlight for both the band and the album. This is most likely one of the first songs that a seasoned fan will recommend when you first listen to them. 10/10
Kimi no Machi Made: This is another single and opens with a slower and very beautiful guitar/bass instrumental. It creates a rather rhythmic flow and the drums add in some extra roughness for keeping the listener from dozing off. The vocals have just the right tone for mixing with the instrumentals and both parties are full of substance. The cheery energy in this song is a core trait that makes up this band’s musical identity and must be appreciated in order to admire this band’s work. The guitar solo is well done and gives off some more melodic beauty towards the end of the song. The vocals have a nice balance of raw melody and emotional beauty. I wish i could actually understand Japanese because the translated lyrics on the band’s music come by rather strongly. 9.5/10
My World: The guitars and bass establish another relaxed rhythm while the drum keeps a very stripped down beat. The vocals are a bit in the open but still establish a strong enough foundation before the instrumentals gain more energy. The slow instrumentals are a key focus of this album but they smoothly build up to an amazing chorus. He has a middle range degree of energy that sounds relaxed but still emotionally strong. The solo at the middle is short, melodic, and effective for transitioning the song into another relatively melodic direction. This is definitely one song that gets a lot out of its relaxing nature and allows for me to be very straightforward in my review of it. You will like this one if you were fond of the first three tracks. The next one is a real gem though; so stay tuned. 8.5/10
Yoru no Muko: This one isn’t a single but is arguably my favorite song and should of been one. My other rival for favorite song is Re:Re: and both are amazing in their use of energy, emotion, melody, and are amazing songs to see live. Go on Youtube and check them out because they really show you how great this band is live. It begins with a quick and emotionally melodic guitar riff and the drums do a perfect job of building the song’s momentum. The vocals take on a slow tone but clearly have a mystifying degree of emotion in them. They reach for some amazing high notes and the shouts are perfect at getting a blissful response from the listener. The instrumentals keep their own emotional melody going strong while smoothly shifting back and forth from slower support segments to energetic jam moments. This is perfectly timed and shows this band in one of its finest career moments. This song alone helps to justify how this album brought the band to international recognition. The vocals towards the end are amazing and Masafumi really delivers the strongest degree of emotional power that he can for a terrific ending. I cannot stress enough how you must check out this song and Re:Re:. Even if you are new to this band; these tracks alone will convert you with ease. 10/10
Last Scene: This one gives the listener a few moments to refresh while some echoed guitar melodies are tossed your way. The vocals take on a very casual tone and manage to work well considering the very basic instrumental support that he is given. The bass reminds me a bit of Coheed and Cambria and so do the drums at times. It progresses this way for about a minute and a half before the guitars and drums liven up their melodic energy. The vocals use this to establish their trademark state of emotional bliss and ease off once it starts to peak. The instrumentals take some of the spotlight and use its melodic rhythm to continue to relax the listener with is soothing atmosphere. The vocals eventually fade away while the instrumentals focus on easing the song gradually towards its ending. Another nicely relaxed piece for getting you past the first half of the album. 8.5/10
Siren: This is another single and begins with some catchy drum beats and a consistent bass rhythm. The guitars do well in build up the song’s melodic foundation and the vocals arrive after some energetic jamming to deliver some slow but solid vocals. He takes his time in establishing the song’s direction but the casual guitars will help to keep the listener entertained while the song get’s itself fully situated. It will still have a good degree of energy in the background so this five and a half minute song will have a good degree of substance for you. The chorus arrives just before the halfway point and Masafumi develops a nice bit of tension in his voice. The instrumentals will continue to space things out effectively and seem to be the primary focal point of the song. This will make it another strong track on the album. Masafumi will impress you heavily towards the end with his tense high notes and they will do wonders in getting that last bit of power into the song before it ends. 8.5/10
Re:Re: Now this is another hidden highlight; however it did get an appearance on the anime Boku Dake ga Inai Machi, I’ve never actually heard of that one before so it might be worth a watch if you are into anime. This band does an amazing live performance of this song and draws out the beginning longer than on the album. It will do a very good job of empowering an audience and would do well as a concert opener. The opening guitar riff will become very familiar to you since you will have a strong chance of playing this song first every time you want to listen to the band. The opening riff is very melodic and smooth while the bass provides a strong yet catchy rhythm under everything. The drums have a balanced energy that enables the listener to develop a rhythmic desire to dance along to the beat. Masafumi is amazing on vocals and uses a high degree of balanced energy to build both a melodic foundation as well as a powerful one. The vocal flow has a catchy quality to it and if you actually understood Japanese; you would likely be singing along to it. The solo at the middle section of the song is rather melodic and gradually builds in energy as it progresses. Ironically, the riffs are very repetitive in structure but are so catchy that they will be extremely hard to get annoyed with. The solo does enter a more diverse state of tension for a bit and it will help to alleviate that potential repetition. This is an easy highlight that really should of been a single. 10/10
Nijuyoji: The guitars return this to an energetic punk rock tone and the vocals have the relaxed delivery for balancing them out. He develops a strong balance of emotional tense of catchy melodies. His high notes come by rather well and the drums provide him a good dose of metallic support. The instrumentals develop a good jam section in the middle of the song that contains its own sense of emotional strength. The song will go by rather quick and gives me another very easy track to review. I could see this being a good live song to do, so look up a video for this one if you are really digging the album. 9/10
Mayonaka to Mahiru no Yume: The guitars begin with a melodic rhythm and almost trick me into thinking that they are actually keys. It has a rough and echoed sense of melody like you would find in a deep key tone. It is catchy and the bass rhythm works well with the drums in keeping as many empty spaces filled as possible. Expect this one to have a very slow sense of progression in it, but will still feel interesting as opposed to being boring. It will be good thinking music in the background instead of being something that you are expected to focus heavily on. 8/10
Kaigan Dori: The guitars begin with a more dominant presence however still retain their relaxed nature. There are some acoustic guitars in the background that add an interesting flare to the bass and drum rhythm. It keeps a good sense of activity in the song and wont have the slow nature of the previous track. The instrumentals towards the end take the song’s trademark riff and livens it up even further. The backing harmonies help to diversify the middle section of the song and will likely do a good job of keeping the listener engaged. You could note some repetition in the instrumentals but you will be able to pleasantly enjoy the song regardless of how much thought you put into it. 8.5/10
Loop & Loop: This is the final single and track of the album. It begins a lot more aggressive than the prior songs but still continues to retain its relaxing trademarks. The vocals have a very good flow and work effectively over the commanding instrumentals. These instrumentals maintain their support role very well when needed and allow for the listener be dancing along to the emotional rhythm of the vocals. Masafumi does do a good job of lifting the song as needed and will do a good job of motivating the listener to tackle their next obstacle.The guitar solo is effective and blends in with the vocals very easily. Its a solid end to this album and will keep the listener feeling very satisfied with it. If you like this one then you are going to be in for a nice treat with their other releases. 9/10
Overall album rating: 9/10
Sweet! it surprisingly beat their latest one (Wonder Future) by a margin of .1 nd has taken the top spot for Asian Kung Fu Generation reviews. It says a lot about this album and for older fans does the same about their newest album. I would suggest checking it out if you are interested in Japanese music. It is a good one to get off of the list and will fit well with my previous reviews for Wonder Future, Landmark, and Surf Bungaku Kamakura. I’m not sure what i will be doing for my next essential review but i have a couple contenders. Falling in Reverse’s Fashionably Late, any of My Chemical Romance’s remaining albums, Nine Inch Nails’ The Downward Spiral, or maybe even Lindemann’s self titled album. I have more on my list but i will get through them all eventually.
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