You are currently browsing the category archive for the 'Kanon Wakeshima' category.
Tracklisting
1) sweet ticket
2) Shinku no FATALISM
3) Kagami
4) still doll (album ver.)
5) Maboroshi
6) Annyui Kibun!
7) Suna no Oshiro
8) Monochrome frame
9) L’espoir -Mahou no Akai ito-
10) Kuroi Torikago
11) skip turn step♪
12) Shiroi Kokoro
13) sweet dreams
Shinshoku Dolce is the debut album from singer/cello player Kanon Wakeshima. It was released on the 18th of February, 2009.
sweet ticket, the introduction to the album, starts off with Kanon’s signature accompaniment: The cello. It’s just an instrumental interlude, but the cello and drums together with the bright, cheerful synths give this a nice, uplifting sound that starts the album out well. It’s about as good as you’d hope an interlude would be.
The first full track, which also happens to be the first new track on the album, is Shinku no FATALISM. In all honesty, this sound sounds a LOT like Kuroi Torikago, the b-side from her debut single. It’s a bit lighter, but it still has the cello + synth arrangement, and since I didn’t like Kuroi Torikago, it’s safe to say that I don’t like this either. She doesn’t really sound crash hot when she tries to hit a high note, and the way she ended the chorus was pretty bad. Not a very good start if you ask me. It’s only 2:58 long, too, which is rather short.
Kagami, however, opens with this whole mysterious vibe given off by the bright, twinkling synths and the son-accompanying cello. However, when the vocals come in, the pace picks up and we get Kanon singing in a whispering manner to the rather tame, still mysterious yet also bright arrangement. The way the chorus opens reminds me, oddly enough, of the way the chorus for Shinku no FATALISM ended and, unfortunately, it ends in the same manner. I like the whole mysterious sound the song has, but… Kanon’s vocals kind of ruined the fun.
Now we come to what is arguably Kanon Wakeshima’s most popular song, still doll. However, it’s been altered ever so slightly for the album: It opens with the chorus now, with a minimalistic arrangement, before leading into the original track and giving us the creepy, mysterious track we all know and love. This is the first track on the album that I can safely say that I like, and that’s because Kanon isn’t trying to sing really fast or use a high register too often. When she does, you can definitely hear those vocal flaws she had back when she debuted (and hasn’t really dropped), but she never hits a REALLY bad note in this song, which is good. I don’t like the new opening, but apart from that, it’s still a good track.
Maboroshi is a rather… Odd track. It opens with a quick cello arrangement tha tloops underneath an oddly bright synth beep arrangement and over an unfittingly fast backing track. It’s nice to see Kanon trying to give us something that sounds different from her singles, but the way she’s trying to sing out and hit notes, as well as extend them, is just getting grating by this point. The whole track itself seems rather half-hearted with how it insists on keeping the same synth arrangement for the whole song, and the cello doesn’t seem to fit the sound at all. I do like the majority of the chorus and how it has this lilting, bright feeling to it. Again, she ends on a bad extended note, but this isn’t as horrible as her previous ones. I guess you could say I like this track, but that may be stretching it a bit.
And now for something completely different! Annyui Kibun! makes absolutely no sense to me. It opens simply with birds twittering, water running and a telephone ringing before giving us a childish, rather strange synth arrangement. The whole package sounds EXTREMELY random, and this ad libbing she keeps doing around the chorus is just plain annoying to add onto the random sound. There’s nothing really exciting about this track… It’s just random. It is a milestone though: There’s no cello in it. Surprisingly enough.
Now we come to one of the few tracks in her discography that I think can come close to topping still doll: Suna no Oshiro. If you thought her debut was creepy, think again. The looping cello over that dark arrangement just scares the shit out of me, and hearing Kanon sing in that whispering voice can just send shivers down your spine. The way she just says “Need to die” so simply like that is just as bad, and when the loud chorus finally comes in, it gives the song a whole sense of fear and thoughts of the unknown that make it oddly addicting. It is rather repetitive, though, and I don’t like how she drops the whole whispering thing in the second half. These are small gripes that I can easily forgive, but they sort of ruin the experience.
Those seagulls and the ocean sounds with the bells that open Monochrome frame made me thought we were in for another Annyui Kibun!! This song has a much stabler, creepier sound to it than the song it made me think of, but it’s nothing even close to the single a-sides. This song does have a slight epic sound to it, and I rather like it as a whole. It’s the best album track we’ve gotten so far, which, I’m afraid to say isn’t really saying much when it comes to the album up to this point. The loud, foreboding arrangement that focuses on the violins and cello does make it stand out from the rather generic pack, though.
Hm… L’espoir -Mahou no Akai ito- is another rather strange track, but… I’m liking this one as well. It opens with what sounds like two different vocal tracks from Kanon singing in that whispering voice over a rather mysterious synth 
arrangement. That cello solo that comes after this part is awesome, too, and the verses are sounding better than I expected they would. Kanon’s voice is still a bit grating and piercing in this song, but I do like these echo effects the two Kanon vocal tracks create sometimes. The choruses are basically the verses on a bit of a higher note, but Kanon doesn’t sound overly bad here, either, which was nice to hear. I really enjoy the instrumental in this song, so the fact that Kanon is bearable vocally is a great sign on top of that.
Uh oh. Now we come to Kuroi Torikago. It’s trying to get this whole electro-pop cello thing with the weird electronic synths and the cello mixing together. I’ll admit, when it comes to hearing the track on the album, I don’t mind it AS much, but the chorus still kills the song. It sounds a bit empty, and I’m not liking those notes she’s hitting. I just don’t think it’s possible for me to like this song.
Ah, but what would three creepy single tracks be without the undeniably catchy, yet out-of-place happy b-side? Granted, skip turn step♪ isn’t as out of place as tracks like Annyui Kibun!, but hearing a Baroque-styles Waltz on a single like Suna no Oshiro was just downright surprising. This brings to light my odd love for Baroque music, because I used to repeat this song quite a bit when the single first came out, and it was instantly my favorite song on any of the singles, just because it showed such a different side of Kanon without becoming completely unbearable. As Waltz songs usually all sound at least rather similar, there isn’t much to say about the song itself: The added drums and synth elements help give it a bit more of a connection for the common J-Pop fan, though.
Our final full-length track on the album, Shiroi Kokoro is, surprisingly enough, the only real ballad! Instead of the cello, the main focus here is the piano, and it’s playing this oddly repetitive tune that sounds like the first few notes from Utada Hikaru’s song, Stay Gold, which I thought was an odd coincidence. It’s a rather nice song to hear after a somewhat mediocre album, and Kanon isn’t killing the song with her sometimes untrustworthy vocals, which I was glad to hear.
The album ends with a final interlude, sweet dreams, which acts as sort of a contrast to sweet ticket. Kanon’s well known for having an orgel track on every single, and her debut album is no exception, because this is a completely orgel track! It’s a really cute song, and it’s nice to hear an orgel that wasn’t derived from a creepy a-side.
Album Score
C
Favorite Tracks
1) Shiroi Kokoro
2) L’espoir -Mahou no Akai ito-
3) Monochrome frame
4) skip turn step♪
5) Suna no Oshiro
I had some large reservations about Kanon’s debut album. Most of the initial tracks sound really similar to either the other early tracks, or some single tracks, which was a huge turn-off. Thankfully, the later songs did save the album from complete mediocrity, but I was quite disappointed with Kanon Wakeshima’s debut. Then again, when you rely on the cello, where can you really go with your sound without making your main element sound completely out of place?
Tracklisting
1. Suna no Oshiro (砂のお城; lit. Castle of Sand; Sand Castle)
2. skip turn step♪
3. Suna no Oshiro (Instrumental) (砂のお城)
4. skip turn step♪ (Instrumental)
5. Suna no Oshiro ~Orgel Version~ (砂のお城)
Suna no Oshiro is Kanon Wakeshima’s second single. It was produced by Mana, ex-member of Malice Mizer, and head member of his personal project, Moi dix Mois. (I freaking HATE that band name, I always forget how to spell it. ><) The title track is going to be used as the ending theme for the anime, Vampire Knight Guilty. The first pressing comes with a personal message from Kanon, and a special movie. It was released on the 12th of November, 2008.
Suna no Oshiro bears many resemblances to her debut track, still doll. It features much more cello usage, however, and the extra synths added in the background help add more suspense to the track, with Kanon’s raspy, whispered singing being the icing on the cake. She suddenly switches to her normal singing voice for the chorus, which has sort of an awkward skip halfway through it. The song also features another cello solo, similar to how still doll had one after every chorus. This song has a much creepier, darker atmosphere compared to her debut, which works brilliantly with her overall gothic lolita image. I prefer this to a large degree over still doll.
As Kuroi Torikago was different from the a-side of the single, skip turn step♪ once again changes its style. The song has a much lighter atmosphere to it, and starts off with a classical baroque sound to it with the cello taking presedence and some light synths placed over it to heighten the mood. Being a fan of the baroque style, I particularly enjoyed how this song opened, as it sounds much like a song you’d expect to dance to at a ball. However, once Kanon begins singing, the song mixes the baroque style with a much lighter, pop-influenced sound compared to any of her previous tracks. I thought this was a brilliant change, and Kanon’s higher register fits the song perfectly, giving it a rather cute sound at the same time. This is probably her first track that lacks the darker, frightening atmosphere, and I thought it was great that she gave us a song like this.
Again, as still doll ended with an orgel version of the a-side, Suna no Oshiro closes with the Suna no Oshiro Orgel Version. While I thought the still doll orgel worked perfectly for giving the song a much darker sound, I feel it actually lightens the mood when it comes to Suna no Oshiro. It’s nothing more than a music box playing the instrumental of the a-side, with the haunting sound they usually carry staying intact. It was a rather enjoyable listen, and I’d rather listen to these than the instrumentals, personally.
Single Score
A+
Favorite Track
skip turn step♪
This single was, overall, equal with her debut when it comes to the a-side, but it was a huge step up when it came to the b-side. This single was much better at conveying what I view as Kanon’s overall theme when it comes to her music, but still carried the same individual charm that her music has, especially with skip turn step♪, which works with a sound I don’t think any other current artist would be willing to tackle. There was an overly large gap between the two singles, though, which was sort of a bad sign as to how Kanon’s release history is going to turn out, but as long as she manages to keep up this level of quality with her music, then hopefully everything should be fine.
still doll is the debut single from J-Pop singer/cellist, Kanon Wakeshima. The title track was used as the ending theme to the Vampire Knight anime. At this stage, it is too early to state charting positions. However, it debuted at #22, and dropped to #24 on its second day charting. It is too early for sales information, but the single was released on the 28th of May, 2008.
Track Listing
1. still doll
2. Kuroi Torikago
3. still doll (Orgel Version)
The song opens with the lone sound of Kanon’s cello (EDIT: ACTUALLY, I agree with the commenters, it’s most likely synth. But it resembles a cello pretty well, save the warbling sound.), which loops throughout the song. It is soon joined by a music box, and a synth crackle opens the song to Kanon’s vocals. The song mainly consists of the cello and music box, with some synth sounds, such as the crackle and others, popping up throughout the song. You also get the same cello solo, starting slow to an intense speed, three times throughout the song to help heighten the mood. Kanon’s voice sounds sort of underdeveloped at this stage, but her vocals suit this song perfectly. It has a high Gothic/Baroque feeling to it, and while I didn’t find it as creepy as others have stated it to be, it certainly is a dark song. It has a suspenseful atmosphere to it, and watching the PV can make the song seem even creepier than it is. With or without, it’s still an excellent debut
Kuroi Torikago sees Kanon crossing into almost Techno territory. The synth in the song mainly gives it this sound, but the cello still plays a large part in the arrangement, reaching its peak in the chorus, and before the verses. It’s a great example of showing us how well Kanon can handle the cello. The opposite worlds that the cello and synth represent surprisingly work very well together, so the song is pretty easy to listen to. Her voice sounds even weaker at points in this song, and it’s definitely not as entrancing as still doll was, but it’s still good. You can really tell the producer was from Malice Mizer when you hear this song.
Wow. The Orgel version of still doll was a surprise, as it consists of nothing but the music box that was heard in the original version, playing the entire tune of the song instead of its one solo. It’s around 40 seconds shorter than the original version, and it does a considerably better job at giving the creepy atmosphere the song was originally intended to have. Splendid work here.
Overall Grade
A
Favorite Track
still doll
While Kanon’s voice isn’t exactly stellar, the overall atmosphere and tone of her music, coupled with the unique cello arrangement that she presents, help give her a much more original sound. After all, it’s not often you hear Baroque music in this age, especially on the popular music scene. If she can keep producing music of this quality, in arrangement alone, then she’s definitely an artist to keep a watch over. Kudos to Mana for helping her with this sound~
Yes, yes, that’s right, I’ve done it again.
Yeeeeeees, I’m adding ANOTHER artist. I just can’t resist, this girls music is just so HOT. I must be starting to get into the more Gothic sounding music, because her debut has a sound highly reminiscent of that style. Or baroque. One or the other. The cello just sounds so awesome, too. Hopefully she keeps Mana as her producer and doesn’t pull a Suzuki on us~ So, yes, new review order for today:
KISS ONE MORE TIME – Tommy february6
still doll – Kanon Wakeshima
Heart Station / Stay Gold – Utada Hikaru
Love Letters – BoA
It won’t be all at once, I’ll post KISS ONE MORE TIME in about half an hour, followed immediately by still doll. Stay tuned~
( P.S. Sorry Goody~ D: )
ALSO, I will be adding a new page to my blog, called the “Comments” page. We should aaaaaall know what goes here.
Yeah, it’s not just for any comments, random or otherwise (I GUESS questions could go there though), but it’s mainly to give people a place to say what they think about the blog and such. No advice, please. Let me learn on my own. <3
EDIT: Sorry, I’m procrastinating again. I wrote two reviews, but expect the other two tomorrow~
Recent Comments