GARNiDELiA - BiRTHiA

When toku, a composer who's worked with LiSA, Angela Aki and An Cafe, met MARiA, who'd previously worked as a guest vocalist with Jin of Shizen no Teki P, in 2010, this was the birth of pop duo GARNiDELiA. From the very beginning, their songs were used as opening and ending themes for various anime. On August 26th, the duo released BiRTHiA, a selection of 15 of their greatest hits from their Indies era. The album has been available for download worldwide since August 28th.

ARiA opens this best-of album with a light and dreamy melody. At the beginning, the pace is rather staid but it soon increases. Even an electric guitar comes into play and, paired with MARiA's pleasant voice, creates a really full-bodied sound. ONE, from the first mini-album of the same title, turns out to be cheerful, rousing pop-rock number with some very interesting synthesizer arrangements. The first seconds of 21248931 conjure up images of a "steampunk" world in your mind's eye with its mechanical effects. Even MARiA's vocals occasionally sound distorted.

The fast and mysterious Arrow of Love flies out of the speakers, propelled by melodies from synthesizer and guitar. In the later bridge, the guitar steals the show. Also with a more mechanical sound, but no less captivating and emotional, is Hands. With this track, MARiA also exhibits her broad vocal range.

The subsequent COLOR, which featured as the opening theme of "Freezing", starts out pretty restrained and balled-like. But this doesn't last forever. A bit later, the track evolves into a deeply emotional mid-tempo track with occasional hard and dramatic interludes. Lucifer doesn't only play with an energetic core melody and a playful, dreamy chorus, but also with different speeds.

Similar in style - though in some parts much heavier in sound - is Break down. Meanwhile, ASTEROiD features wistful and rousing synthesizer chords and even throws in some dubstep. With Harmony, the first really deep and moving ballad of the album reveals itself, spreading heartache with its melancholy. Track number-eleven, Butterfly, can also be described as a ballad, though it's brighter in mood than it's predecessor Harmony.

From GARNiDELiA's second mini-album PLUSLIGHTS -21248931- comes yet another ballad: the calm, emotional Hoshi no uta. SPiCA -ReACT- also starts out like a ballad-like and calm, but steadily increases in tempo and diversity of sound, with an electric guitar adding some fire to the leisurely string-laden melody.

The penultimate song ORiON carries on the theme of love songs and ballads, but this time, a piano is featured as lead instrument, giving the song a sad overtone. The chorus is a little more hopeful, though. As the last track, GARNiDELiA have chosen the encouraging, rousing Birth, in which an acoustic guitar features. This pacey closing number surprises in the bridge with a playful electric guitar solo.

In fifteen songs, BiRTHiA gives an impressive account of the imagination, playfulness and creativity of J-pop duo GARNiDELiA. Anyone who's never seriously listened to the duo before—many will have encountered certain songs of theirs through anime like "Gundam" and "KILL La KILL"—will get an entertaining overview of their first four years.

The short version of the music video for ARiA can be watched below.