Amano Tsuki - Bara to shinjyu

Since pop-rock singer Amano Tsukiko decided to end her career in the spotlight of a major label and went back to the indie Otokura Records as Amano Tsuki, she has released some distinctly different and somewhat experimental albums. Bara to shinjyu, her newest original release from 9th November 2011, is a mini-album full of the old, upbeat rock that fans will be more familiar with.

The album is composed of seven tracks, with the material sandwiched between opening track Bara no youni and ending with Shinjyu, the "rose" and "pearl" of the album name respectively. The former is typical of something from her major days. It starts with a subdued, minimalist verse of voice, guitar and drum trio that evolves into a fully rocking, deeply bass-filled chorus. It ends nicely with a crazy rock ballad mash-up of wailing guitars and crashing cymbals. It's a meaningful look at her reasons for singing and her love of music, as she herself describes in her blog. A slightly lighter take on the same rock style can be found in CORE -rose ver.-. It's a catchy piece of pop-rock, written about "starting over" as the singer contemplates reaching a landmark decade in the music business.

The playful BLACK BEE is more light-hearted and fun in comparison. Carrying her heavier rock sound contrasted against some jovial synth, it is a cheerful track with some great guitar solo work. Her smoky vocals are still capable of shouting out the chorus and she never lets up the pace. Later track LUCKY DOG is similarly cheeky in nature but is also feisty as well as fun, with some sharp, heavy drumming adding a touch of petulance.

Tsuki lets some of her softer side take over in the gentle Ringo no ki. A mellow and slightly country-sounding piece, it features a dreamier singing style than usual and is almost lullaby-like in quality. She still makes full use of her band however, as even in this piece the latter half is characteristically full of rock instruments and strings.

Final track Shinjyu is a classic rock ballad in composition and, on the whole, more optimistic than the opening track whilst expressing as much or even more sentiment. The "pearls" of the title are, as Tsuki writes, what she imagines as the tears of the moon. As such, since she is "Moon" (her given name in Japanese), they are effectively fragments of her, tiny particles which are collected within her shell over time and culminate in these pearls of experience and memories.

Bara to shinjyu is, as usual, a great example of Amano Tsuki's personal writing style. It is in turn hard yet yielding, superficially polished and attractive but rewarding you with something deeper the longer you look, like the rose and pearl of the title. On initial listen it is apparent that this would sit much better with those who admired her work as Tsukiko, since it's much more rock oriented than her previous album. However, it is still more introspective than her older works and should be seen more as incorporating previous styles rather than just revisiting them.

Check out Tsuki's homemade music video for Bara no youni and the cross-fade overview of her album below.