Ironic Clown

 Track list:
1. Wasure Mono
2. Ooki na Senaka
3. Obaa-chan
4.Crape-myyrtle no Yureru Koro
5. HOME
6. vintage love
7. brige
8. Hajimari
9. infinity
10. Sekia no Owari ni
11. Tsumihoroboshi no Uta

AKIKO∞KOKIA ~balance~ is KOKIA’s 9th studio album. It was released on the 18th of March, 2009 and reached number 51 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and charted for a total of three weeks. It was released on the same day as her OTHER album KOKIA∞AKIKO ~balance~.

Less than six months after the release of her Christmas themed album Christmas gift KOKIA is back! If anyone knows how to make albums efficiently it’s KOKIA. Considering it took less than six months to make, I didn’t have my hopes too high… but man was I surprised!

All eleven tracks on the album are soft laidback songs, with a unique alternative edge. Much like The VOICE, AKIKO∞KOKIA ~balance~ shies away from KOKIA’s pop/folk past and goes for something a little more original. The beginning of the album starts off with Wasure Mono a relaxed track with outstanding vocals. With Wasure Mono being almost seven minutes in length, one would think that this song quickly get boring, however like previous albums KOKIA’s vocals are outstanding and never get tiresome.

AKIKO∞KOKIA ~balance~ shows the use of piano quite frequently. In vintage love, Obaa-chan and Hajimari the piano is the only instrument that can be heard. This adds to the unfeigned feel of the song, and makes KOKIA’s vocals the main attraction. AKIKO∞KOKIA ~balance~ is balanced out with guitar to add a light touch to the album. Ooki na Senaka, Crape-myrtle no Yureru Koro and bridge have guitar as the main and at times only instrument of the piece. The way that KOKIA can make a song that sounds so raw, yet so interesting is very intriguing and she has mastered a very fine art.

Unlike The VOICE, KOKIA’s latest album has lost the European edge and as far as I know has not been scheduled for a European release, unlike her previous album. This is understandable though because compared to previous albums AKIKO∞KOKIA ~balance~ has little English. Most of the English throughout the entire album can be heard on bridge. KOKIA’s English is as good as they are on previous albums and at times the English can be hard to understand, but that’s mainly because the vocals are rather soft on bridge. I think that it’s a good thing that AKIKO∞KOKIA ~balance~ doesn’t have all that much English on it, because even though KOKIA’s English vocals are cute an all, they can sometimes sound as though they were sung by a four year old. When listening to her English works it becomes quite evident that her Japanese voice is much nicer.

Lots of songs have similar arrangements so that’s a plus when it comes to the flow of the album. I would like to see KOKIA vary her songs, but at the same time I believe that KOKIA performs soft tracks the best and I would be quite happy for her to sing songs like this for the rest of her career… yes, I did just commit doublethink.

KOKIA’s vocals on AKIKO∞KOKIA ~balance~ are varied. In songs such as Obaa-chan KOKIA’s vocals are thin, but strong. In Hajimari KOKIA’s vocals are fuller and she holds her notes for a longer amounts of time, which can sometimes tend to resemble opera. In all of these circumstances KOKIA seems to be able to sing with ease and her lyrics are smooth and flow well. KOKIA’s vocals are melodic she uses the right arrangements to match her voice. Most of the songs on the album could be used as a lullaby to drift me off to sleep, especially vintage love which is one of the simplest but best songs on the album.

KOKIA is a truly unique Japanese artist and really can’t compare to anyone in the Japanese music industry. In an industry plagued by same-sounding generic pop tracks KOKIA comes along and balances the music industry out with some much needed peaceful and lightly produced music. Add a sprinkle of guitar, piano and even panpipe to match wonderful and diverse vocals and you’ve got AKIKO∞KOKIA ~balance~ which truly is a gem to treasure in any music collection.

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Hits:
Wasure Mono | Ooki na Senka | Obaa-chan | Crape-myrtle no Yureru Koro | HOME | vintage love | bridge | Hajimari | infinity | Sekai no Owari ni | Tsumihoroboshi no Uta

So-so:
N/A

Misses:
N/A
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Overall Rating:5 stars