Hajimari no Uta (Normal Edition)(Japan Version)

Songwriting duties are split between male members Mizuno and Hotaka Yamashita, with Mizuno responsible for the five A-sides and Yamashita responsible for seven side tracks. While Mizuno's contributions are more pop chart-friendly, the Yamashita works that open the album set the tone up nicely as well. Titular track Hajimari no Uta (Track 1) is fairly representative of the light, gentle ballads the band has excelled at in the past, while Yumemidai (Track 2) sets up a brighter and more energetic side of the band's sound. Yoshioka's voice has a naturally cheerful attitude (though it lacks flexibility in expressing certain emotions), which makes her a perfect fit for Mizuno's Joyful (Track 3). Filled with cheerful lyrics about happiness, peace signs, and a whole lot of joy, the band even came up with a dance for the fun rock track, the closest it has gone to a full-blown pop-dance song. Yoshioka delivers the track playfully without going into the territory of excessively cute bubble-gum pop, and her vocal is a large part of the song's success.

However, the energy left by Joyful quickly dissipates with the ballad YELL (Track 4). Written and arranged like a melancholic ballad, YELL is actually the set piece of a national youth choral competition with lyrics about following dreams and moving forward. While its memorable and affecting composition makes it a good candidate for such use, giving such a melancholic melody encouraging lyrics makes a strange match, lessening YELL's ultimate emotional impact. On the other hand, the lyrics do explain Yoshioka's strangely upbeat delivery, though it might still leave some fans scratching their heads why such lyrics weren't used on a more cheerful melody.

The band does go back to a more traditional brand of ballad with Futari (Track 9), a bittersweet ballad in both composition and lyrics. However, Yoshioka seems to simply be following the composition in her delivery, lacking the ability to deliver the full emotional complexity of Mizuno's lyrics. Yoshioka lacks variety in her voice and the maturity to deliver some of the band's emotionally deeper works. While she's a fine vocalist who can deliver the band's light works perfectly, her delivery of heavier works such as this can only measure up to a good Karaoke rendition.

That is the problem of the band's work as well. As light and pleasant their brand of music is, there's little variation in arrangement throughout, filling the listeners' ears with layers and layers of music with little rest. With the second half of Hajimari no Uta lacking a climax like Joyful to break from the repetition, the album begins to overstay its welcome. However, the work is still fairly solid when judged individually, particularly in Yamashita's Akizakura (Track 8). Filled with attitude and energy, Yoshioka shines here with a feisty attitude and a dynamic vocal delivery, solidifying her talent as the voice of the band.

The two male members also get to flaunt their vocal talent later with Tenohira no Oto (Track 10), a peppy rock track that also marks the only time a male voice can be heard on the album. Even though Yamashita and Mizuno perform proficiently on vocal duties, the song's general style - especially with the male voice - is too similar at times to folk-rock male duo Yuzu. Producer Taichi Nakamura wisely brings the vocal focus of the second half back to Yoshioka, and the effect feels like a group effort that's fun to listen to. However, Yamashita's composition and the typical rock arrangement (by Nakamura) remain at side track quality because of the similarities to what's out there already.

As she had done in their previous album, Yoshioka contributes one song to Hajimari no Uta as songwriter. Mirai Wakusei (Track 12) is a mid-tempo rock ballad that fits Yoshioka's bright persona. While the composition is a little simplistic compared to the work of her fellow band members, Yoshioka seems to know what fits her vocally and has written something that allows her to express her brand of optimism without losing the emotions. It's not as commercially-friendly as Mizuno's works, but as the voice of the band, Yoshioka needs a work that represents her various qualities, and Mirai Wakusei can be considered a success in that regard.

As a pop album, Hajimari no Uta is a solid effort that represents the band sound-based, Karaoke-friendly Japanese pop music of today. There's no doubt that the band will continue connecting with their young fans as long as their style remains the same for the next several years. However, it'll be interesting to see how the band matures along with their fans, especially when Yoshioka matures further as a vocalist in the coming years. Hajimari no Uta is certainly not a turning point in the band's direction, but for a group that has taken so long to find mainstream success, it's perfectly fine to bask a little longer in the spotlight.

Recommended Tracks: Hajimari no Uta (Track 1), Joyful (Track 3), Akizakura (Track 8), Tenohita no Oto (Track 10), Mirai Wakusei (Track 12), Ashita e Mukau Kaerimichi (Track 13)

by Kevin Ma