enie meenie - Fantasy Of Life

The album opens with an audio snippet of people playing the children’s counting rhyme "Eeny, meeny, miny, mo" in the title track Fantasy Of Life. The use of that sound byte does two things: it suggests how easy a decision could be made, if life were that easy, and secondly, it explains the meaning behind the group’s name. The song then grows faster in beat, backed by unexplainable wildness.

The speed of the piano in short drama equally matches the guitar and the drama representing either triumph or strife. The drums are partially lost under the weight of the guitar and drums in some parts, but stand out oddly at others. short drama can also represent a high moment in life. Calming down and encased in a whisper, Ochii counts in the song Different nights. It offers something similar to the sweet acoustic sound of Never Shout Never and the dark but opinionated lyrics from Bright Eyes, combined with the haunting melodies by Swedish group of Seabear. Sung mostly in English, Different nights relies heavily on the xylophone in the beginning. The line “…you don’t need to give me much money, you have to only say ‘hi’…” brings a smile to your lips at the sheer simplicity of the song, making it one of high points of the album.

Both Melina and Too Late Phone Call take a stronger approach with a faster beat and a thin layer of synthesizers in the background, paying homage to the extensive use of synthesizers as a throwback to the 80’s. Ochii, paired with Naganuma on guitar and Sasaki, perform at their best on these two tracks. Both Melina and Too Late Phone Call are full of fantasy, although all good thing must come to an end.

The synthesizers don’t disappear in Flight to there. The most amusing part of the track is when everything drops off momentarily and only the piano remains. Ochii then emulates an in-flight message by a pilot by thanking the ‘passengers’ for flying with the airline, etc. Being unexpected and humorous makes Flight to there an unusually memorable track. Is the moment where one realizes one’s place and leaves a dream to return to reality.

Parting song, a slightly jovial country/folk number, bridges the gap between dream and real life, driving the listener to snap back to reality as the moment of waking draws near. sleep, the final track, hauntingly welcomes a light snooze before waking up. The vocals are little strong in comparison to the somber piano, but they match the frustration heard later on in the track. Through sleep, you can breathe a sigh of relief, bid farewell and remember the fantasy within the dream.