| Album name: | Fury |
|---|---|
| Anime name: | Rock Bochi! |
| artist: | Ikumi Hasegawa, Saku Mizuno, Sayumi Suzushiro, Yoshino Aoyama |
| Catalog number: | SVWC-70613~4 |
| Release type: | vocal music |
| release date: | December 28, 2022 |
| Where to buy: | Japanese CD, Spotify, apple music |
Rampage Album Review
rock bokiJam from Kessoku Band’s self-titled debut album. It’s not exactly what I expected from another entry into the crowded field of schoolgirl music, but I feel a lot better about experiencing this treasure trove of albums. From the start, lead singer Ikumi Hasegawa’s clear performance on the opening track “Youth Complex” energized me and laid the foundation for me to be hooked.
In fact, the quality of almost all songs Fury Fascinating. Part of the credit goes to the album’s musicians. These include drummer Osamu Hidai and guitarist Ritsui Mitsui from “School Food Punishment”, who has participated in the creation of many works. Naruto Shippuden OPs, and bassist Yuichi Takama, who never seemed to get very far with LiSA. But my appreciation is mostly reserved for the composers, who flexed their talents while keeping the album fairly cohesive.
This cohesion manifests as energy that drives me forward. Take the intro of “Hitoribocchi Tokyo,” for example, where the steady rhythm of percussion shifts to an emphatic guitar riff. Ikumi Hasegawa’s vocals once again blend effortlessly into the instrumentals from the verses to the beautiful chorus. The resulting energy is delightful. The same goes for my favorite “Distortion” rock boki ED theme. The song displays all the hard rock stuff until after the bridge, where an uplifting surprise brings the song to a satisfying conclusion.
At this point, my praise for Ikumi Hasegawa’s singing will be repeated, it’s a testament to her consistency. Do I praise her ability to navigate the chorus on “Guitar, Loneliness and a Blue Planet,” to which she imbues an impeccable sense of urgency? Or how she performs before unleashing an emotional verse in the chorus of “That Band”? Did I rave about her charming and poignant performance in “Little Sea” that left me with indelible warmth? Or maybe talk about how lovely I find the chorus in “If I Could Be a Constellation”, a song that is only marred by the lack of a bottle slide solo? In short, I cannot stress enough Momentum Band Ikumi Hasegawa’s performance plays a large part in creating a captivating feel throughout the album.
That said, the other singers didn’t make me go “kita! ikuyo!” because their performance was just adequate. Mizuno Tsukuru’s performance on “Karakara” takes on a more freewheeling pop-rock style during the verse, before moving into a higher gear during the chorus. But due to its repetitive nature, the song struggles to stand out. Sayumi Suzushiro fares better on “What is Problem with” because of the initial burst of energy in the intro and verse. Unfortunately, the chorus is choppy. I found its melody and delivery too bland. It’s a shame that Sayumi Suzushiro has the ability to master the lyrics. This song feels bland when you compare it to other tracks on the album.
at last, Fury Finally a nod to its source material. I mean, the Asian kung fu generation throughout rock boki. The last song “Rockn’ Roll, Morning Light Falls on You” uses an arrangement of popular songs from the Asian kung fu generation, and is performed by voice actor Yoshino Aoyama in a very Bocchi-like interpretation. That said, this is a high-anxiety performance, full of nervous jolts, tentative passages and a lot of gulping. This performance is hardly the pinnacle of audibility, but I found its setting to be captivating. The fact that Aoyama embodies Boki’s character so well makes me cheer for Boki’s continued success. When season two does air, I hope Kessoku Band has another consistently enjoyable album for me to treasure.
grade: very good