WagakkiBand - Yasou emaki

The concept of fusing traditional Japanese instruments with Western rock didn’t start with WagakkiBand. Since 2000, acts like shamisen duo Yoshida Brothers, metal band HeavensDust, and koto trio Rin’ have been blending Japanese instruments with contemporary musical styles. However, no one has managed to make quite the impression WagakkiBand has.

The group started out in 2013, uploading covers of popular VOCALOID songs to video-sharing website Nico Nico Douga, and in two years, this eight-piece ensemble has become something of an international phenomenon. After releasing an album of VOCALOID covers in April 2014, the octet put out their first original release, the DVD single Hanabi, in August the same year. Their second album Yasou emaki, released September 2nd this year, contains thirteen original songs.

If any fans were worried the shift to original material would mean a drastic change in WagakkiBand’s sound, album opener Ikusa should allay those fears. Previously released as part of a DVD single in February, this song is imbued with the same delirious energy one finds in most VOCALOID songs. What’s more, bassist Asa’s composition strikes the perfect balance between modern and traditional elements that made the band’s versions of Tengaku and Senbonzakura so instantly unforgettable.



Ikusa isn’t the only uptempo number on which the band finds this delicate balance: Machiya’s Hoshi tsuki yo, Yuko’s Hanabi and Kiyoshi’s Hanafurumai all succeed in this. HAGANE, composed by wadaiko drummer Kurona, fares less well. The song shows great promise early on, with a strumming koto giving way to an atmospheric melody dominated by Daisuke’s shakuhachi. However, at the chorus, the song changes gear completely, reverting to standard-issue rock. It’s no stinker—Machiya’s guitar solo makes sure of that—but it still feels like a waste for a song with the potential to be so different to fall back on formula.



Perhaps the most noticeable difference between VOCALO Zanmai and Yasou emaki is the greater diversity of sound on offer. Where the former was flat-out rock but for the occasional ballad, the latter has several songs with a softer feel. One such number, Akatsuki no ito, delivers on what HAGANE seemed to promise: a song built on a traditional blueprint, rather than conventional verse-chorus-verse structure. The track takes the form of a rocked-up “shigin” recital, with frontwoman Yuko giving full vent to her vocal training. What there is of Akatsuki no ito is good, but it feels almost unfinished due to its short length, as the crescendo it seems to be building to never actually arrives.



Yasou emaki’s other lighter offerings include Asa’s whimsical Perfect Blue, featuring a standpoint performance by shamisen player Nakigawa Beni, and the semi-acoustic ballads Furin no utautai and Kyosyu no sora, the second of which is both composed and sung by guitarist Machiya. This is just as well, as besides his scattered solos, Machiya’s harmony vocals are his most noticeable contribution to the album. On most tracks, he acts more as an extension of the rhythm section than a frontline performer. That said, he fares better than Kurona, whose thudding taikos are often drowned out by fellow drummer Wasabi.



Diehard VOCALOID fans shouldn’t feel completely abandoned by Yasou emaki, though. In a possible nod to their roots, as well as the song’s worldwide popularity, Senbonzakura is included as the album’s penultimate track. Furthermore, all first-edition CD releases include a brand new VOCALOID cover, Chikyu saigo no kokuhaku wo by KEMU VOXX feat. GUMI, as a bonus track.



So, has WagakkiBand’s move to original material been a successful one? Yes, quite simply.