high-ball - high-ball

After his departure from 12012, Yusuke Suga started up the project high-ball. For his debut he rolled out a full album, with various other prominent figures from the visual kei scene giving him assistance.

Yusuke only sang in three songs himself: Acoustic avenue, Drug queen and Sus. Acoustic avenue starts out with a full minute of talking and chattering as if the recording had been accidental, before living up to its name and becoming an acoustic guitar performance accompanied only by a gentle drum beat. The song is slow during the opening stanzas but picks up a bit during its chorus, where he is backed up by vocalist minguu.

Drug queen employs the usage of filters and has a very grunge feel, while Sus starts off slower, giving the listener the impression that the song might remain slow, but it soon explodes into a rough rock song. Sus has an old school visual kei feel to it, and is sure to make long-time fans nostalgic with its vocals and guitar solos.

During each of the other songs, Yusuke employed a variety of vocalists, and each brought a different sound to the table. There are three songs sung by kudai: Six/Nine, Tettsui and yesterday. The first two are both songs also holding that very traditional visual kei sound and are moving both lyrically and musically. Tettsui in particular is a shining song off the album, with its choruses full of emotion. Six/Nine is much more fast-paced than Tettsui and uses hard-rock elements during both its stanzas and its chorus to create a harmony which would have any fan jumping, headbanging and singing along; Six/Nine is the epitome of a perfect live-song.

yesterday is a halting change from the rest of the album: while it is a cool down song, it is only kudai and a piano, and its stark difference in sound sticks out from the rest of the album, and not in a good way. That aside, the song is beautifully crafted and standing alone is a wonderful song which is sure to bring tears to the eyes of many fans.

During each of the other songs, Yusuke has a different vocalist. During desire, the track is sung by M.E.I. and is an alternative rock sound accompanied by piano. The song is a strong one off the album, with backup vocals to strengthen the emotion behind the lyrics. The music will have you swaying before you even hit the chorus!

Ishitsubutsu todoke sung by kanae is another track which will have you time-traveling into visual kei past. The song is fast paced and accompanied by a heavy drum and piano, with its vocals providing depth to the lyrics and emotion dripping from each word. kanae’s voice is similar to that of KAMIJO, which also adds a flair of drama to the song.

A song which is sure to excite all Sugar fans is Be the Seeker, sung by Loki. Loki’s sensual voice adds an element of sex to the fast-paced rock song. Each stanza builds up to an explosive chorus where he belts out the lyrics, and will have any listener moving. Easily one of the strongest tracks on the album, if you don’t love this album by the time you reach this song, you will by its conclusion.

Thinner, sung by Yo-Ka, is the second fastest song on the entire album, both lyrically and in composition. It’s a 100% head-bang song, and your neck is sure to be sore at its conclusion if you see it live! Yo-Ka growls, raps and slurs as he sings, and his fast-paced singing style only adds to the excitement of the track. During the chorus, he is more coherent but there is rapping behind his lyrics, making the two blend together slightly. Overall, it’s a great addition to the album for fans looking to rock out.

Counter, starting out with its echoed vocals by yukino, implements slap bass, a touch of jazz and a quick rhythm which will have any listener jumping. The chorus of the song is more melodic with the emotion behind the lyrics heavily impressed upon. Yusuke’s guitar work in this song is very distinct and skillful, and really adds to the overall sound.

Tero of ex-vidoll sings Hirari, and for anyone who wondered how he sang, it is a little pitchy but definitely fits the visual kei mold. The stanzas of this song are incredibly slow and accented by a piano, with the guitar playing quietly behind Tero so as to not outshine him, but both the music and speed pick up during the chorus as Tero belts out the lyrics and his romantic English “I love you!” to the listener. The guitar solo in this song is particularly impressive and really shows Yusuke’s skill. One of only a few slow songs on the album, Hirari shouldn’t be skipped.

BEN sings Kurohane which starts out with a blur of shouting and cussing. His vocals are distorted heavily as he raps during each stanza and everything he says is completely incomprehensible. Where the lyrics falter, the music more than makes up, with an extremely hard rock and headbanging rhythm, building up to a shouting chorus with BEN’s singing almost in the background. While this isn’t one of the best songs on the album, it’s good for someone who just wants to mosh.

ignorance is the only song on the album which was sung by everyone who participated in high-ball. The fastest song of the entire album, this track is moving a mile a minute and it sort of feels like everyone is doing something different! The instruments don’t seem to match up or play together all the time; during some parts of the song it feels like there’s different songs being performed. The song has a great head-bang and rush section, but the lyrics are screamed and slurred, distorted and filtered, leaving ignorance a song that won’t be appreciated for its lyrical value. Despite its wildness, it’s a fun song that will have you stomping around or moving in your seat, and fast!

For a first album, high-ball is a big change from the music Yusuke performed in 12012 but is a true indication of the music he wishes to continue performing and will have many fans fond of the old school style of visual kei loving this album. Many of the songs seem designed specifically for the stage, so high-ball shouldn’t be missed if you can catch the project live!