Box Emotions (ALBUM+DVD)(First Press Limited Edition)(Japan Version) DVD Region 2

The more bombastic sound is heard right from the first track, the single Alright!! (Track 1). Used as the theme song for a television series, the rock song features a catchy hook that goes along with an overwhelming guitar-drum presence that immediately grabs the listeners' attentions while setting up the tone of the album. It's a fantastic way to start off the album, and the energy is also nicely carried into How Do I Survive? (Track 2), which plays closely to the group's 70s rock influence. With Ochi's spirited vocal delivery and her English-Japanese fusion lyrics, How Do I Survive? remains respectful in its attempt to recreate their influence, but its hum-drum composition prevents it from being more than that.

The group is a little more successful at paying tribute to their inspiration later on in the album, particularly with Bad Girl (Track 7). Leaning more towards 70s country-rock, Bad Girl shows Ochi's lighter side as a vocalist, while Tabo's composition and arrangement show how to bring a dated genre into something modern pop fans can accept. However, Ochi's lyrics about partying and rock-and-rolling all night as a bad girl don't really match the playful hook of the chorus, weakening its intended meaning.

Meanwhile, though Yasashi Kimochi de (Track 6) leans closer to 60s rock-and-roll in its light, romantic tone, it's also one of the more successful attempts at doing a dated genre without sounding dated. The key is in Ochi's vocal delivery, which is arguably more powerful and more controlled than most crooners from that time period. Tabo's composition and arrangement also convey the romantic ambience effectively, to the point where one can imagine the song easily making its way to a wedding or two in the future.

The result is somewhat mixed when Superfly tries to concentrate more on contemporary rock-pop. Even though Ochi's lyrics in Koisuru Hitomi wa Utsukushii (Track 5) mentions hopping on the "love train", it's really a pop-rock song with another showy, attitude-filled delivery by Ochi. However, it doesn't seem to match Tabo's composition or even her own lightweight, happy lyrics. The formula works a little better in See You (Track 10), with Tabo going for a far more cheerful tone and Ochi holding better control over her strong voice that matches her lyrics about a hopeful long-distance couple.

The best non-70s genre song goes to centerpiece ballad The Best of My Life (Track 4), which runs 6 minutes long. Producer Koichi Tsutaya holds back the arrangement and allows the layers to unpeel bit by bit along the way until it hits a major finale. The result is a ballad on a grand, elegant scale that one can rarely find in pop these days. However, Tabo's mild, lightweight composition doesn't bring the song anywhere near the Paul McCartney scale the group was trying for. Nevertheless, Ochi makes a wise decision in holding her voice back until the very end, and Koichi handles the complicated arrangement with flair, making The Best of My Life one of Superfly's best and most ambitious songs.

Best of My Life is placed too early in the track list though, giving the listeners the climax only ¼ into the album. With a mellow ambience and an extended outro by producer Koichi, Haru no Oboroshi (Track 11) would've made the perfect ending to the album. Instead, when listeners realize that it isn't the final track of the 55-minute album, they'll likely feel exhausted and find it difficult to get through the final two tracks. That's not to say that Hanky Panky (Track 12) and Ai ni Dakarete (Track 13) are not solid tracks, but by the time the guitar intro for Hanky Panky starts, the album sounds like it's resetting itself again, making Box Emotion a potentially exhausting experience.

Nevertheless, Ochi, Tabo, and Koichi can chalk Box Emotions as a success in their discography. Despite its pacing issues, it's a thoroughly entertaining pop album that moves through the appropriate emotions with the right tone. Superfly may not be as true to their musical roots as Love Psychedelico, but that shouldn't be a reason to dismiss them. On the other hand, it may be a reason to approach Superfly only as a successful pop unit rather than the flower-loving 70s rockers their image tries to promote them to be. Then again, it's hard to find anything truly genuine in the pre-packaged pop world anyway, and as pre-packaged as Superfly's style may be, at least there's actual quality inside.

Recommended Tracks: Alright!! (Track 1), How Do I Survive? (Track 2), The Best of My Life (Track 4), Yasashi Kimochi de (Track 6), Bad Girl (Track 7), See You (Track 10), Haru no Oboroshi (Track 11)

by Kevin Ma