A uniquely Japanese single from a promising new band.
Rei, vocalist and currently only member of LAPiS LiGHT, has been in the music industry for a long time, and has had contact with some very big names despite little widespread recognition. Formerly known as mamiko, she fronted "melodic heaviness" band 0 Limited Execution for three years under LEMONed Plant, a record label founded by X JAPAN's late guitarist hide. Building on that connection, Rei later went on to feature in the rock musical based on hide's work, "Pink Spider".
After a few quiet years, Rei returned in 2015 with a new band, LAPiS LiGHT, and a new concept — "Neo Japo-rock". With releases themed around the four seasons, the project's aim is to present a wholly new, more Eastern take on rock music with a visual kei twist. The latest single in the series, Renjou no yuki, presents an extremely fun, unique, and palpably Japanese reflection on the winter season.
Track one, Renjou no yuki, introduces the single beautifully, featuring an astonishingly seamless blend of hard rock with more traditional Japanese instrumentation over a trance-style electronic base. Rei herself shows a good deal of versatility, able to switch from a lower, rock-oriented style to a higher-pitched, more traditional vocal register as the song requires. And this is a requirement, as the koto and shakuhachi sounds are every bit as prominent as the contemporary guitars and synthesizers. Fittingly for a winter-themed song, there's a somewhat lonesome and mournful tone throughout, backed up by a wonderful violin solo. Even with so many instrumental elements, however, the song never overwhelms the listener.
BURST is the next track, and right from the start it takes a much faster approach. The forlorn tone is upheld somewhat, but there's a harder edge thanks to heavier guitars and a dash of harsh vocals that lends the song a more menacing flair. The general melody also has a much more "Japanese" feel to it, and yet the mix of old and modern still manages to remain remarkably even. A sort of muffled rap break guides the listener into another fantastic violin solo, and this statement alone should be indicative of just how smooth LAPiS LiGHT's genre-hopping compositions can be.
The final track, Onizaki Camellia, makes a bombastic entrance, ensuring the album ends on an energetic note. Hurried metal riffs and frantic trance beats combine a la Blood Stain Child, creating a firm and exciting base over which LAPiS LiGHT once again liberally applies its unique brand of Eastern influence. Harsh vocals feature much more prominently and once again never seem out of place, and Rei's enka-inspired vocals are arguably at their very best on this track. Astute listeners of Japanese music may recognize Sakura, a unique musical motif usually played on the koto, that makes what is probably one of its most ominous appearances ever during the song's bridge.
LAPiS LiGHT may be a very new project, but it has all the hallmarks of success. Those looking for unconventional song structures may not find what they're after, but the elements around which the band has built these structures create a wholly unique package. Rei's vocals and violin work are truly attention-grabbing highlights, and compliment the traditionally-inspired elements in a rather fascinating way. Each song contains bits of spoken dialogue that can be intrusive, but do very little to diminish the release's overall quality. LAPiS LiGHT's very concrete and very poetically Japanese "four seasons" concept is thematically versatile enough that even in a post-modern musical world of genre-blending and experimentation, Renjou no yuki manages to stand out. Winter, as the first and last season of the year, signifies both ends and beginnings. Though their seasonal series is finished, music fans would do well to hope LAPiS LiGHT' winter heralds the genesis of even more genre-fusing musical goodness.
