The Flare
Artist: The Flare
Album: The Flare
Musicians: Yuna (vocals), Sugizo (guitar)
Composer/Lyricist:
Release Date: 8 Feb 2006
| The Flare - The Flare Tracklisting:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 01. Inner Child *Bold titles - recommended listening. |
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OVERVIEW
The self-titled first album for The Flare is destined to be their only album, since they separated soon after its release. In a way, it is a shame because the talent they show in this album is certainly nothing to complain about. Sugizo, formerly of Luna Sea, is one of the most skilled and prolific guitar players in Japan. And Yuna’s voice, while a standard J-rock sound, is smooth, beautiful, and easy on the ears; it easily blends with pop or rock. But therein lies the problem with this duo: they don’t know what genre to put themselves into. They attempt a bunch of different styles, from rap to pop to rock, but unlike other groups they just don’t really pull off the changing styles in an original or unique way. There are some excellent songs on here, but the majority of the music is too similar to other artists to make it really stick in your mind after you’ve heard it.
THE GOOD
Inner Child
This album opener combines rocking guitar chords and a thumping drum beat. Yuna shows off his vocals, dipping occasionally into lower tones than are usually heard on rock songs and proving his talent doesn’t depend on a specific range. Piano notes sprinkled throughout and the repeating guitar line blend together to create a solid and unique sound.
Lyra
“Lyra” is definitely one of the two best songs on the album, simply because it’s the most interesting. The beat just demands that you move in time to it. Yuna uses his voice very well here, off-setting the guitar and drums without being swamped by them. The chorus is catchy. Near the end of the song, we’re also given a nice near-acapella from Yuna, backed only with a smooth harmony from violins and cellos.
Meguriaeru Nara
This is the other best song on The Flare. Yuna’s vocals are at their most expressive here, surging from low notes to falsetto with ease. The melody sounds melancholic and bittersweet as Yuna pours his heart into it. Sugizo also gets his chance to shine here with an intricate guitar solo halfway through the song.
THE BAD
Manatsu no Koibito
This so-called rock song is so pop you can almost feel the back-up dancers swaying their hips and bouncing around in a complicated arm-waving dance step. It sounds like a stereotypical anime opening theme in the making. It also sounds like every other pop song you’ve heard before. Sugizo, at least, gets a chance to express his talent here, but there was little else to draw me in.
My Fragile Girl
“My Fragile Girl” starts off on the wrong foot with a guitar riff that, despite being in a different key, sounds way too reminiscent of “Inner Child” to be included on the same CD. Unfortunately nothing happens in the song to save it from its unlucky beginning. The melody seems to go everywhere at once without actually going anywhere, and you’re left with the feeling that this song should have ended at two minutes instead of four. This song epitomizes forgettable borderline-R&B J-rock.
Uetico
The Flare falls into the rap-meets-rock craze with “Uetico.” The rock portions of the song are decent, but the unnecessary rap sections instantly ruin it. There’s not much else to say about this song except that it is a clear example of what is wrong with this CD. By trying to take on too many styles, “Uetico” and The Flare both end up sounding unfocused and disorganized. It’s just too bad that the rock in “Uetico” can’t save the song, and that the excellent songs on this album can’t save The Flare from being merely average.
The Rating: 5
Reviewed by: dheu
