White Album Character Song 1 / Morikawa Yuki – Review

Album Title: White Album Character Song 1 / Morikawa Yuki
Anime Title: White Album
Artist: Aya Hirano; Shinya Ishikawa; Kyohei Tsutsumi; Junya Matsuoka;
Hitoshi Fujima (Elements Garden)
Catalog Number: KICM-3188
Release Type: Character CD
Release Date: April 01, 2009

Track Title Artist Time
1. WHITE ALBUM Aya Hirano; Shinya Ishikawa; Junya Matsuoka 4:39
2. Tsuiteru ne Notteru ne Aya Hirano; Kyohei Tsutsumi; Hitoshi Fujima 3:43
3. WHITE ALBUM off Vocals Shinya Ishikawa; Junya Matsuoka 4:39
4. Tsuiteru ne Notteru ne off Vocals Kyohei Tsutsumi; Hitoshi Fujima 3:43

Review: I’ve already made a comment on lelangir’s music blog regarding Yuki’s song from White Album and now that her character’s CD has been released, we are finally able to focus all of our attention on her performance from episode 13. As lelangir points out, “WHITE ALBUM” is a cheesy song, but it does a decent job of bringing about a calming, soothing effect that leaves the listener feeling pretty mellow by the time it ends. Part of that is due to Aya Hirano’s performance using a non-Haruhi voice (as lelangir points out yet again) to fit in with this piece’s overall comforting mood. There’s no doubt that it is a nice change from her usual fare even if the final product isn’t all too remarkable.

WHITE ALBUM:
[audio:1 WAYuki.mp3]

When it comes down to actively reviewing “WHITE ALBUM,” the process of doing so is difficult in the same vein that it’s difficult reviewing Suara’s “Maiochiru Yuki no You ni.” That is, there’s actually very little to describe here that can’t be summed up by saying that this song is very comforting and mellow, and that people who gravitate towards such tracks will enjoy it quite a bit. The song starts up with a feel-good pop backdrop provided by the keyboards and a light rhythm section that makes way for Aya Hirano’s entrance. As she sings, her tone is different in that is a lot mellower, thereby allowing her to subtly convey her feelings of contentment as she remains calm in spite of the travails that she sings about. The parts where the saxophone plays during the brief interludes complement the mood through the instrument’s timbre and together with Hirano, reassures the listeners that in spite of all the difficulties that exist, things will turn out all right in the end.

Although I’m not totally enamored with “WHITE ALBUM,” I will concede that its soothing effect will get me to listen to it once in awhile when I feel the need to be comforted. And if you were to look at this song and compare it to Hirano’s other performances, I’d say that it’s significantly better than some of her works that I’ve listened to most recently (“Unnamed World” and “Namida Namida Namida” if you must know).

Tsuiteru ne Notteru ne:
[audio:2 WAYuki.mp3]

Before I go into the second song on this album, let me disclose the fact that I have no personal experience with the 80s’ club scene. But in listening to “Tsuiteru ne Notteru ne,” I’d say that if I were to find myself in such a setting, I would expect to hear music that is in a similar vein to that song. “Tsuiteru ne Notteru ne” is a complete reversal of “WHITE ALBUM” in the way its tone and mood are presented. The opening lines come off as being more aggressive and dominating through its harsh dance beat that fits in with the club setting that I talked about earlier. Again, Aya Hirano’s voice complements the song by keeping pace with the beat and hitting the stresses as she sings the lyrics. The melody itself is also catchy in the way this song sticks in your mind, especially during the chorus section’s opening motive, making it a decent piece to listen to if you want a bit more variety out of listening to Aya Hirano.

Those of you who’ve talked to me know that I’ve dropped White Album for quite some time now, but if there’s anything this album did get me to do, it was to watch the segment in episode 13 in which Yuki (Aya Hirano) sings “WHITE ALBUM.” My thoughts on it remain unchanged in that it’s a pleasant, soothing pop melody with little substance to get in the way. The same can be said for “Tsuiteru ne Notteru ne.” I wasn’t initially particularly impressed with that track, but it did grow on me after awhile though not enough that I’d wholeheartedly recommend it. When it comes down to it, this album isn’t bad by any stretch. Its failing, if anything is that it’s just not particularly memorable through the long haul.

Rating: Decent

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Anime Instrumentality's Founder and Editor-in-Chief. As you can probably guess, I'm a big anime music junkie with a special love for composers who've put out some beautiful melodies to accompany some of my favorite anime series. I tend to gravitate towards music in the classical style with Joe Hisaishi and Yoko Kanno being a few of my favorite composers, but I've come to appreciate jazz and rock as anime music has widened my tastes.

0 thoughts on “White Album Character Song 1 / Morikawa Yuki – Review

  • April 12, 2009 at 10:09 pm
    Permalink

    I actually really enjoyed this full version of WHITE ALBUM. Hirano’s Yuki voice I realllly like (way more than her Haruhi voice), and the instrumentation of the song really accentuates her voice, especially the synths.

    Waiting for your review of the Ogata Rina CD 😉

    Reply
  • April 12, 2009 at 11:24 pm
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    Sorry, it took me a while to visit your site since your last comment at Hey, Say, Anime! Care to exchange blog links? 😉

    Anyways, on to the entry, I agree wholeheartedly to your in-depth review on the songs. I admit that I do like “White Album” for its soothing sound but it’s not outstanding. It’s a solid song nevertheless but I like a lot of other Aya Hirano’s songs better.

    Like lelangir, I cannot wait for your review on Rina’s CD. I contemplate buying that one myself. ^^

    Reply
  • April 13, 2009 at 7:32 am
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    Nooo, I was hoping you’d cover the superior character album first! Yeah well, I never watched past the first episode, but I’m all for Nana Mizuki singing ┐(‘~`;)┌

    Reply
  • April 13, 2009 at 1:14 pm
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    @lelangir
    Yeah, as I sat there listening, I could say it was nice and pleasant and I was somewhat surprised that I took a liking to “Tsuiteru ne Notteru ne” that that kind of music isn’t usually up my alley. So not bad, but definitely overshadowed by you-know-who’s Character CD.

    @Minnie
    Thanks for dropping by and I’ve linked to you guys over at Hey, Say, Anime!

    Aya Hirano’s a bit of a mixed bag for me. Some songs she hits it just right, others are far below par. I’d say this is closer to the “just right” section.

    @Shin
    Sorry, dude. Nana Mizuki album is like the dessert. I wanted to savor that one for awhile just to listen to her singing, especially track 2. Oh god… I might be saying too much at this rate.

    Reply
  • April 17, 2009 at 6:50 pm
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    Nice. I still haven’t finished White Album – I’m really not sure why – but I like the first song. The rhythm is relaxing, for lack of a better word.

    Reply
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