Unchain has an unusual but very distinctive sound, thanks to its mix of musical genres and eras, and overall their songs are catchy and melodious. Rapture, the band's first full length album, came out in March and includes fourteen tracks which show a lot of different sides to the band. The lyrics are entirely in English and most of the songs are jazz, rock or both, and typically display a retro sensibility with modern elements. In that sense, the songs all feel timeless: too modern for the past, but too retro to be contemporary, Unchain's sound exists outside of any era.
The album starts off with Signs of Spring, a cheerful song of celebration that feels like a throwback to 1970's Motown, right down to the female back-up singers in the refrain. Though its atmosphere is relaxing, the composition is complex and busy, dividing the listener's attention between the uplifting vocals, playful drums, jazzy bass and guitar lines that complement each other while taking off along different paths.
Track two is one of the best on the album. Let Me Be The One has a more modern happy rock feel, with an exhilarating refrain bedecked with glinting guitar sounds like sun gleaming on ice. The combination of catchy, danceable beats and exciting melody lines makes this one of those songs you'll want to have on repeat.
The third track, Don't Need Your Love, is a fast paced, jazzy song whose elements merge together beautifully: Tanigawa Masanori and Sato Masafumi's defiant guitars match the injured but resilient emotions transmitted by the vocals; Yoshida Shogo's drum parts are unpredictable and surprising and the bass zooms off in all sorts of directions.
This is followed by two relatively contemporary sounding rock songs. Precious is fast-paced with a lot of different phases and interesting drumming. Track five, Light Your Shadow, is mostly a rock song but includes a surprisingly jazzy bridge. Although it mixes two such disparate genres, the song is cohesive, catchy and loaded with positive but stylish attitude.
Next is Mother Earth, which evokes a 70's love and peace sound that's echoed in the song's message of taking care of the planet. But the song takes on new relevance with the reemergence of environmental issues in discussions today about global warming and the energy crisis. What's interesting is how the lyrics describe environmental action in terms of filial duty. "Mother Earth, blessed child, don't you remember what she has given?" In other words, our obligation to the planet is like that of a child to a parent. That emphasized duty to parents (and seniors and teachers) is at the heart of Confucianism, so while the song is in English it brings to the forefront a very traditional Asian principle, and this duality helps the song cross both temporal and cultural boundaries.
One of the most creative songs on the album is Life is Wonder, a laid back jazzy tune about falling in love. The charm is in its quiet euphoric feel, and as the piano and vocals become progressively more tipsy, the song itself begins to imitate the condition of being high, though in this case high on love.
The next two tracks transport us back to the world of disco. You Over You is a fun dance song with a strong disco sound in the chorus, though the rest of it has a more contemporary feel. On the other hand, Show Me Your Height is unabashedly disco throughout. Tani Hiroaki's bass is especially prominent, but there are also some especially fun guitar lines at the beginning and end.
Tracks ten and eleven are mostly contemporary rock songs laced with a retro feeling. Always Shining is a catchy, fast paced number with a unique chorus, some nice falsetto parts from Tanigawa and unpredictable rhythm changes from Yoshida. Despite the sunny message, the song is intense and driven, almost impatient, as opposed to the laid back style we might have expected. Quarter is a rock number with some fairly heavy parts, namely the chorus, where the guitars are much more aggressive than usual and even Tanigawa's singing is more forceful. But while the previous song was consistently intense, Quarter is quite soft in many areas.
make it glow is a bouncy rock number, brighter and lighter than the previous tracks. While it's fairly fast paced, it has Unchain's characteristic carefree, celebratory feeling that will put any anxious mind to rest.
The thirteenth track, Dear My Friend, is a must hear. Although it's a departure for the band, it demonstrates that even with a completely different style, Unchain can still create that timeless atmosphere, perfectly contemporary and old-fashioned at once. A slower song with Spanish influenced guitar playing, Dear My Friend turns into a very unique ballad with a 60's "doo wop" feel. Its refrain will transport you to a dream world in the clouds, and Tanigawa's singing becomes heart wrenching as he belts out the song's sad message of saying goodbye.
The album concludes with the title track, another jazzy number with a throw back feel to it. Tani's bass is prominent throughout and especially interesting when it ventures into a higher range. The bridge becomes more intense and emotional as Yoshida lays into his drums relentlessly. Another treat is the more modern feeling of the isolated guitar notes that fade in and out, most noticeable in the intro and ending.
This album has all the elements you'd expect to find in a great release with an emphasis on originality, in large part due to Tanigawa, who worked on the music composition and lyrics for almost every song on the album. It's definitely worth checking out, especially for people who are looking for a band with a very unusual, uplifting sound.
