KuRt - Blued eater

KuRt should really be given the title "kings of angst," largely due to their vocalist Tenten's incredible capacity for conveying bitterness, sorrow and hostility. An enormously talented singer, he doesn't seem to be forcing or pushing himself to transmit this; rather, it feels like he simply opens the flood gates, allowing the powerful emotions to spill out. This is combined with musical compositions that match his intensity and emotion to create a beautiful, expressive result. In 2006, KuRt released a slew of singles, one each month from July through December. Blued eater was their penultimate single, and as one of the band's final releases we'd expect it to be pretty impressive. Even with those big shoes to fill, it doesn't disappoint.

At first, Na mo naki hana seems to be devoid of the band's usual dark broodiness. Opening with a light beat and peaceful harp strumming, the vocals mimic the harp's softness. However, the calm is shattered when the chorus enters with a sudden outburst of emotion and sound after a pause of silence. The drums and guitars become heavy, and Tenten's singing is suddenly anguished. Saburou's low bass line runs all over the chorus playfully, giving the refrain a stylish attitude in addition to its impressive emotional nature. The guitar solo after the second chorus sounds wildly tormented, matching Tenten's emotions perfectly. As the intensity builds toward the end, rap vocals are added under the sung part, and then the song returns to the quiet sounds it opened with.

The music in Hachi juu hachi ya wakarejimo is comparatively light-weight, though not without its aggressive parts. The guitar play is especially interesting: throughout the song, Yuka and Ryouki take off along divergent but complementary paths and sometimes echo each other, as though responding to one another. Also, while one is low and heavy, the other sounds light and high, scampering over the music. The guitar solo bridge is interesting as one guitar takes the melody line while the other supports it lightly with ornamental notes, and Saburou adds a much lower line on his bass. Meanwhile, Tenten and Kiaki are in perfect harmony, so that when the vocals become more aggravated and stirred up, the drums accelerate and become louder. Overall, it's a complex song whose parts fit beautifully together. While the chorus isn't stunning or catchy, there are great melodies in each section of the song as it moves from one phase to the next, with intensity building toward the conclusion.

This single shows two different sides to the band, both dark and tormented as that's what they do, but Hachi juu hachi ya wakarejimo is more fast-paced and catchy - a song you could play over and over. On the other hand, Na mo naki hana expresses anguish on a large scale, epic and emotionally exhausting. In both cases, KuRt created some incredible art to leave behind as part of their legacy.