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Tracklist |
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1 - Natsu
2 - Moonlight Blue Train
3 - Please stand by me
4 - Tabibito no Kage
5 - YOU & I
6 - Tsukiyo no Tobira |
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Review |
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Hamakita Tsubasa, frontman for Tokyo's Exprollers, sure seemed like he was having a dandy year when he was twenty seven. Heck, he even named his album after that wonderful landmark of an age! Yet, while twenty seven's folky tales of true love are a bit of a departure from The Exprollers' tough leather-clad punk, Hamakita definitely hasn't lost his sense for creating likable bursts of unabashed pop.
The plucked acoustic guitar of "Natsu" gently introduces twenty seven to the listener, with some light harmonica and tambourine accompaniment, and lyrics about the arrival of summer (hence the title, "natsu" meaning "summer"). "Moonlight Blue Train" kicks in next with a machine-gun drum roll, a sentimental anthem about Hamakita's journey home on the night train to be by his sweetheart as she awakes. This keyboard-accented track is the first of three tracks on the record featuring Four Tomorrow as Hamakita's backing band. The production on these full band tracks is modest, with a warmth to them that fits Hamakita's songwriting quite well. The drums are crisp, the guitars are clear, and the compression is thankfully not overwrought.
"Please stand by me" rings a little hollow, a kind of light rock love song with an unfortunately trite English slogan as its hook. Hamakita's Japanese lyrics have a naturally humble sincerity that reinforces the idea that Japanese lyricists are much better suited to singing in their native-tongue. "You & I" makes up for twenty seven's one little red-headed step-child with it's bouncy mod-guitar, handclaps and la-la-la chorus.
"Tabibito no Kage" and "Tsukiyo no Tobira" round out the mini-album's acoustic tracks, both dreamy and sweet, with Hamakita's heartfelt cries aspiring to soar. He definitely hits some sour notes over the course of twenty seven's 20+ minutes, but the choice to forgo the cheap surgical magic of most modern recordings (aka autotune) makes Hamakita's vocal struggles seem all the more charming and earnest. twenty seven will appeal to anyone looking for some sweet and simple tunes, or to those of us hoping that twenty seven will be better than twenty six. |
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