Awoi – Birthday

You might think that putting very diverse songs onto one album is not the best idea. Also you might say that trying to make your songs “unattractive” is the wrong kind of path to follow. To be honest, Awoi doesn’t care what is right or wrong. Music is not a classical painting, so it doesn’t have to follow the rules, canons or proportions. Awoi’s music is original, surprisingly, and their album is one of the most interesting releases lately.

Birthday starts very dramatically. Rensa creates the feeling of anxiety. At first it is a very peaceful track with a steady rhythm, delicate guitar line and deep vocals, but after a short guitar solo, everything is ruined. The vocals break and overlap, and the words are difficult to understand. On this album Awoi tends to destroy the mood in their songs with unexpected interruptions, like cutting in with grotesque vocals or adding parts in totally a different style or pace. Surprisingly it works very well.

BUTTERFLY 16411 is interrupted with parts sung very high and very low, which creates a dissonance within the song. Sometimes even the sound of the wrongly tugged guitar string crops up. This fast song runs in some unknown direction and seems to be a bit crazy, ending with a dying out-like voice of Otogi--as if the vocalist suddenly decided that he didn’t care about singing anymore.

RAINYBABY includes verses sung in a very pretty way and Otogi’s voice is pleasure to listen to, but the song restrains itself from being “too pretty”, thanks to cacophonous backup singing from the other members. It also contains sharp guitar lines and speedy drumming. Overall, it is a fantastic song!

Additional sound effects used in PARASITE indeed remind some of insects or other living things. The band keeps a fast pace, but the vocals become more gentle. It might be surprising how many different vocal styles Otogi can use in one song--he can change his voice so drastically, that you might wonder if it is really him singing all the time. The fact that every song on this album shows a different vocal personality of his is huge advantage for Awoi.

In the peculiarly melodious and pretty SENTIMENTAL LASTSCENE we find another change in Otogi’s singing. The vocalist sings with a clear voice filled with emotions, and when the music fades out his voice is alluringly delicate. Of course, it wouldn’t be Awoi if they didn’t destroy this idyll. Soon after you let yourself daydream while listening to the song, Otogi starts to shriek, adding a bit of growl, and then… he comes back to his normal singing as if nothing happened.

ANTI MUSIC FUNNY MAN is another experiment. It is aggressive with a lot of screaming, which is, for a change, interrupted with a quieter instrumental part. Screams, growling and the overall mood of the track are a bit similar to music from System Of A Down, and for sure, it is song for those who like heavier music.

Hm, what can we add to this album next? Maybe some jazzy riffs? Sure, you can find them in Yakou Boogie--a pleasingly melodious song led by guitars. Otogi’s singing is pretty normal but here his voice sounds a bit mannered, which is great. Especially nice is the catchy chorus. Yubikiri’s mood is quite similar, though the vocals are even more mannered here. Interestingly, the melody and singing seem to climb higher and higher. Also, the guitars create a slightly retro style. You will find pleasure in listening to this song carefully, since there are many hidden gems within the melody.

Although known from a previously released single, ABELCAIN suits this release very well. The following track is NIGHTMARE, which seems to be rather normal compared to other experimental songs. There aren’t many surprises in this song, but in it you can encounter other vocal personalities of Otogi. Interestingly, the very ending of the song sounds almost like JAPANESE MODERNIST from MERRY.

Ending the album is the contrarious song, UNHAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME. The effects and continuously changing melody make you feel as if they really had fun making the song. Even though you shouldn’t laugh when Otogi wishes himself an "unhappy birthday", it remarkably brings a smile to your face – it’s kind of unusual for such a “dark” band as Awoi.

Within eleven songs, the band jumps from the dark, gloomy and overwhelming Rensa to the almost cheerful UNHAPPY BIRTHDAY. Each song is different and definitely shows the various attitudes of Awoi. Sometimes it’s difficult to find words to describe what happens with the melody or Otogi’s voice. Everyone should give this album a try and find out on their own what is special about this crazy band. AWOI deserves this chance because the album they created is unusual and different from everything we can observe in so-called J-rock. We are lucky that this album is available in Europe thanks to the label Gan-shin. Check it out!