It’s the third web album from Calvi Taro, and it comes surprisingly quickly after the 2nd – ‘Lamento’, which was released in January this year. But upon glancing on the tracklist I was even more astonished. Of 13 full-fledged songs, only a couple was previously published on Nicovideo! And Okame-P’s Nico channel boasts [starting counting hastily…] yes, another 13 absolutely new tracks and one rearrange since February. Now that’s an impressive pace, gentlemen! Well, seems Calvi himself didn’t expect this productivity too :)
The album art was made by Ruuya (well, who else?). Unlike the previous work for ‘Lamento’, this drawing falls back into the usual style of the artist. Which basically means
Illusions and dreams, indeed. And I’m ready to assure you, these are the best illusions ever possible. Because they’re very, very, very, VERY real. One can find twisted irony in this: in order to become real, the song had to tell about dreams and illusions… Personally, I don’t find it ironic at all, I see tremendous power in this kind of actualization. The power to make you believe, the power to hold you and affect you and pierce your heart – the things that make difference between real and… let’s say ostensible. Even more wonderful is the fact that a perfectly fictional character has the potential to evoke far more real impressions than many of her human counterparts could ever dream of. An imaginary person breaking free into reality by the force of her imagination is a fascinating development by itself.
The depth of the impression is reinforced with thematic consistence throughout the album. With the exception of framing first and two last tracks, Okame-P draws an epic story, varying musically but sharing different shades of the same mood. For me, it’s a compassionate and painfully beautiful story about fragility and loneliness. And Hatsune Miku sings, confesses and sorrows with such sheer emotional force that it breathes life into these abstract concepts. There is very real fragility. There is very real loneliness. You suddenly realize that the only link between you and this suffering soul is the cord of your earphones. And it is totally in your power to severe this last link, to send her back into hazy meaningless digital quasi-existence. Of course, you absolutely don’t want to betray this trust. But somewhere in the corners of your mind you always know that, sooner or later, it’ll come to an end, die out. For you, it’s nothing – there’s a whole life for you. For her, though… So this perspective, this disparity brings another dimension to your attitude towards the music. For you are real, and the songs are real, but Miku herself isn’t and never will be. Her fragility and loneliness go beyond being just lyrical themes of the album, they are her imminent qualities, and ‘Dreaming Colors’ reveals the tragedy of it…
So… what, guys, music? OK, OK, let’s talk about the music, if you insist. The third web album roughly marks 5 years of Calvi’s career as a Vocaloid producer. A lot for the Vocaloid scene maybe, but not so much for an individual. I can’t say Okame-P’s sound has undergone massive changes in these 5 years, but I definitely see certain development. His music seems much clearer now, not in terms of guitar distortion or messing with effects to achieve ‘tight’ sound, but primarily in prominence of inner structure, in ability to accentuate certain moments and in proficiency to convey his intentions. The music became more novel and interesting, deeper and more elaborate, yet the producer puts focus on emotional aspect while largely keeping ‘the technicalities’ subdued.
The style wanders around post-hardcore mostly, its lighter melodic variety associated with emo music. Some prog rock influences (which are not uncommon for post-hardcore) are notable, specifically in the frenzied opening track ‘Away if you can feel me’ and ‘Naze sekai wa boku o eranda no ka’. To the producer’s credit, even within post-hardcore bounds Okame-P demonstrates considerable diversity. Despite the continuity of lyrical themes, each song is distinguished by its own unique musical signature, pace and approach.
One can even wonder how it’s possible to synthesize so different tempos and levels of sound pressure into the one encompassing mood. This is another supposed contradiction that makes the album stand out. Furious outbursts go alongside with affectionate ballads, dirty oppressive breakdowns roll on after gentle melodic parts, but the atmosphere remains essentially the same.
Bass guitar is perhaps the shyest instrument in this conundrum. Sure, it gets a bright spot in the first track of the album, accelerating to dizzying speed. But for the rest of the release it plays mostly supportive role. Which is hardly less significant – its presence is a crucial part in building up the emotive intensity.
But the main workload is still carried by the lead and rhythm guitars. And the pair does it just awesomely. The aforementioned diversity is largely achieved by the stylish guitarwork. It’s a beautiful thing by its own – melody-forming dialogues, sick riffs, intricate acoustic parts, heavy choppy alternate picking and so on. It takes many forms, but every of them are well-executed.
Still, the drums are even more spectacular. I suppose this part is the most obvious evidence of producer’s improved skill. The percussions are both versatile and complex, eagerly trying to impress a listener. You have frantic snare playing, you have deep sexy drum bass pounding, you have offbeat patterns and fast-paced tracks – altogether very impressive.
Electronics are the most controversial part of the album. The prominence of this tool remains one of the features of Okame-P’s music style. And the producer is well-versed in it, able to create non-trivial and intense sound. But not all the time. When the music steers toward lengthy, purely synthetic (or ‘symphonic’ to put it another way) sweet-sounding sequences, it loses all its hard-earned substance. It has little with me preferring ‘br00tal’ stuff over ‘pop’ or whatever. It’s basically a matter of Calvi’s proficiency (or dare I say ‘deficiency’) in composing this kind of music. It’s just comes out weaker, above all, in terms of emotional impact. Basically, the synthetic section definitely requires teamwork to gear up to its full power. The distorted guitars and percussion virtually bring electronics to life.
Now don’t get me wrong, my main complaint is on the two closing tracks, ‘Allium no komori-uta’ and ‘Sore ga kimi no michi’. If only the album had finished with ‘Kimi to kanaderu ensemble’ – a song of astounding depth and force… But no, Calvi saw fit to make the final part in more ‘positive’ shades. Well, ‘positive’ worked, but ‘affecting’ not so much. So the end of ‘Dreaming Colors’ leaves mixed feelings…
…But that’s the only downside I can think of. And we haven’t yet discussed in full the primary upside of the album! There’s indeed a force that unites the whole variety of musical themes into a set, single work, the one that makes it real – the fifth element of a sort. And this force is Hatsune Miku’s vocals. The singing is truly fantastic. It always takes the central spot on the soundstage, giving enough power to command the musical environment. Yet in this top position the vocals retain subtlety and intimate feel. Maybe enigmatic even – because, despite all the storming on the background, the vocals always stay quite distant, mellow and concentrated. Miku’s voice drifts in a world of her own – a world of dream. It’s a world much unlike ours, with its distinct flavor and its distinct flow. It’s reflected in the distinct pace of singing – almost always solid and steady. And only because it’s Miku's own world she can express herself with such sincerity and affection.
Just in case you’ve decided the word ‘fantastic’ refers also to lifelike-quality of vocals, I have to disappoint you. This was never the strong point of Okame-P’s songs, and ‘Dreaming Colors’ cannot boast of something special either. Yet the progress is notable here too. Compared with earlier works, Miku definitely sounds clearer. Alas, but not less digital. Well, if that’s an issue for you. Admittedly, Calvi Taro’s ability to make so profound impact even with these drawbacks makes it a genuine wonder.
I spotted little differences in vocals throughout the album, but they’re too minor to make something of it. The vocals are traditional (non-distorted) by the way, and the only tiny exception is one really short moment in ‘Itaiyo’ (well, it can be translated as ‘It hurts’, so seems fitting :). Calvi himself says he isn’t satisfied with Vocaloid screaming because it sounds ‘dirty’ (in the sense of ‘poor’, I suppose, not in the sense of ‘cool’ :). Well, I have to agree – I find shrills in Eve’s songs much more appealing :) Oh, and I feel obliged to praise the sound quality of instrumentals in ‘Dreaming Colors’. Which is another mark of producer’s progress.
You don’t need to look for all these small improvements. Because together they bring on one much more important thing. ‘Dreaming Colors’ become real. And it’s the only thing that matters in music.
Bottom line: melodic post-hardcore, too real to be a dream.
By virtue of whatever gods you believe in, Calvi Taro released ‘Dreaming Colors’ in the same format as previous two albums. This essentially means you are just three clicks away from getting this awesome LP. If only other Vocaloid producers released their material digitally, the world would be much happier and nicer place! :) Need I say the album is absolutely free? Now that’s the spirit of underground as it always should be!
Album download link: http://il-cremonese.net/3rd-lp.htm
Calvi’s blog: http://blog.livedoor.jp/calvi1919/ (if you know Japanese you might even find it entertaining)
Calvi’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/calvi1919 (the point about Japanese still applies)
No comments:
Post a Comment