#loseness
Here I am with the first part of this month’s themed week in “Let’s Listen to”! Today’s subject is one of the most awaited released of the Japanese summer, the latest effort of the pop artist Kenshi Yonezu, the fifth album Stray Sheep, came out today. The album’s concept comes straight from the title, a reference to the parable of the “stray sheep” told in the New Testament, used to describe the sense of confusion and disorientation brought by the current times. And now… let’s review!
-Campanella: the album opens with the first lead-track, featuring a pretty peculiar sound; soft beats accompain Kenshi’s flowing and natural vocals, in a light and upbeat pop melody; a nice opening song, with an interesting vocal interpretation. —> 9/10
-Flamingo: one of the leads from the tenth single sees a more decise sound, where Kenshi’s vocals move swiftly in the articulated melody, well underlined by the bass; a flowing and easy song, which keeps up the positive atmosphere of the album. —> 8.5/10
-Kanden (Electroshock): the second lead-track of the album, used as theme for the drama MIU404, is kicked off by pretty positive notes, surrounded by a pretty simple beat; the vocals are nice and pretty balanced, especially in the refrain, making it even catchier; a nice track, dyed by a jazzy vibe. —> 8.5/10
-Placebo (ft. Yojiro Noda): this song starts with soft notes, accompained by a pretty relevant beat; Kenshi’s voice is steady, keeping up the melody along with interesting guitar notes and a pretty efficient duet with the lead-singer of Radwimps, in another catchy and easy track. —> 8.5/10
-Paprika: the lead of the thirteenth single starts with slower and melancholic notes, disposed in a peculiar way; Kenshi’s vocals are pretty suggestive, driving an electronic and fascinating melody, made of a balance between positive and melancholic shades; a song which brings the album to a maturer side. —> 9/10
-Uma to shika (Horse and deer): natural vocals and nice guitar notes open the lead of the twelfth single, used as theme for the drama No Side Game; the rhythm builds up slowly, leading up to a pretty pleasant melody, with not so exaggerated electronic effects, greatly helped by a deep vocal interpretation; a distinctive track. —> 9/10
-Yasashii hito (Kind person): this song sees sweet vocals by Kenshi, accompained by warm guitar notes, leading up to a slow and melancholic ballad, where the vocal interpretation is the most remarkable highlight of the track; a track which shows Kenshi Yonezu’s emotional side at best. —> 9/10
-Lemon: the lead song of the ninth single, theme song of the drama Unnatural, starts with Kenshi’s deep vocals, accompained by a nice melody and a flowing beat, creating an intense atmosphere; the melody improves more thanks to a rock vibe, especially in the refrain, making this track even better, without forgetting the vocal interpretation, which improves more in the second part. —> 9.5/10
-Machigai sagashi (Look for a mistake) -Masaki Sudacover-: the song starts with twittering birds, bringing back the naturalist touch seen in Kenshi Yonezu’s music, where the vocals become sombre and mature, accompaining a crystalline fascinating melody; a song which looks back to this artist’s origins, exalted by the vocals and a good use of electronic notes. —> 9.5/10
-Himawari (Sunflower): this song brings back the positive vibe in the album, with soft notes opening the song, whose rhythm is pretty fast and the melody is upbeat; the vocals are living, accompained by a fresh guitar, in a pleasant and catchy song, featuring a sort of exotic vibe. —> 9/10
-Mayoeru Hitsuji (Stray sheep): the title-track starts with a pretty steady melody, featuring decise and dark-ish tones; Kenshi’s voice is intriguing, bringing out a really peculiar vocal interpretation; a good song, built by a various and fresh melody, improved by a nice piano work. —> 9/10
-Décolleté: this song sees a retrò vibe, where the enigmatic notes mix up with a balanced beat for a quite paced melody, driven by Kenshi’s simple vocals; the song is pretty good, where the best feature is a curious mix of R'n'B and folk sound. —> 9/10
-Teenage Riot: the second lead of the tenth single starts with interesting guitar notes and a fast beat; the vocals are pretty steady, but fitting with the unpredictable approach of the song, whose melody evolves even thanks to a balanced drum work; another great track, exalting once again Kenshi’s singing skills. —> 9/10
-Umi no yuurei (Spirits of the sea): the lead of the eleventh single, used as theme for the movie Kaiju no kodomo, is kicked off by Kenshi’s clear vocals, accompained by a nice piano, where the rhythm is made by a slow and articulated beat, where the vocal interpretation is filled by nostalgical shades; a quite compelling track, where the melody evolves with suggestive electronic notes. —> 9/10
-Canary: the album ends with a quite long song, staying in the nostalgical side; Kenshi’s voice is intense, accompained by clear piano notes, driving up a slow and melodious theme, making the song even more compelling than expected; the vocal interpretation reaches high peaks, especially in clearer notes, where the violin gives an extra touch to an already awesome song. —> 9.5/10
Final Vote —> 9/10
Kenshi Yonezu is definitely an unique artist within the Japanese pop scene and a confirmation of how in music surprises never end. In ten years of career he always brought something new and refreshing, reinventing his concept through his suggestive art and melodies touching each emotion possible. Stray Sheep represents a fundamental step forward in his path, since it extended his sound to a wider audience, even outside Japan, bringing upbeat melodies, melancholic notes, compelling and various vocals, and a touch of nostalgia and nature, reprised by Kenshi’s early style, showing how pop music is able to bring in unexpected directions and to further horizons. This album is a breath of fresh air, needed in troubled times like these, whose influence is felt even inside each track, and a good companion for everyday life, making it more pleasant and flowing, without any doubt. If you are looking for an intense pop artist, whose sound goes out of schemes, Kenshi Yonezu is your answer, especially with this fifth album. An album for who already knows Kenshi’s unique world and for who needs to get into his music, made of positivity, nostalgia and feelings.
That’s all folks! See you with the second part of this month’s themed week in “Throwback Thursday”!
Thanks for the reading!
READ OUR RELATED POSTS:
REVIEWS
