Review Summary: Exactly what you'd hope to get out of a pop album, but not quite what you'd expect to get out of Supercell.
If you’re interested in giving J-pop a knock, but you’re sceptical about approaching the world (since, let’s face it, it’s actually not much of an alternative to western pop as fanatics would have you believe) then check out Supercell. If you need anything to convince you that it isn’t all just over-produced, doll-faced idols pushed by greedy corporates looking to exploit consumer interest (though that’s an unfair statement that I could make about a lot of musical mediums, but for the sake of argument) this is it. Elusive enigma Ryo knows how to write pop music perfectly; even ignoring J-pop completely, the stuff he has written under the Supercell name is some of the best stuff out there. The 11 team pop/art project, Ryo being the sole composer and the other 10 being artists, have a pretty remarkable repertoire to say the least. From the teenage daydream fronted(?) by Hatsune Miku that was their debut to the masterpiece of emotion that is Today is a Beautiful Day, it’s a pretty daunting reputation for just one, practically anonymous guy to be holding up, credit due of course to the musicians that feature in the project.
So how does ZIGAEXPERIENTIA hold up? In short, better than you’d expect. ZIGAEXPERIENTIA boasts quite a significant change in direction from Today is a Beautiful Day, mostly as a result of the departure of vocalist Nagi Yanagi from her duties. The new vocalist Koeda’s vocal approach differs from Yanagi’s quite significantly, sporting a more aggressive tone. It’s with this in mind that the music has been approached differently, employing drop-tuned guitars and an overall more up-tempo feel. In context with Supercell’s other two efforts, this album deserves credit where credit’s due; once you initially recover from the fact that it’s quite different from its predecessor and that Koeda is not Yanagi, ZIGAEXPERIENTIA is a great pop album.
“
No. 525300887039” sets up the album for this new direction, but not throwing the listener straight into the deep end. The moment the rest of the band drops away and you hear the guitar crunch, you can feel how the song is going to build around it. Cleverly placed at the start of the album, the track is slightly more subdued than a lot of the tracks that follow it and serves as an entrée, getting you used to the new sound and Koeda’s more balls to the wall vocals. What comes off as one of ZIGAEXPERIENTIA’s biggest strengths is that Ryo’s song writing hasn’t become complacent. Supercell show off a lot of flair with “
My Dearest” with its driving drums (the accents, I think they’re 32nds, right beside each other are a particularly potent hook) and piano, it stands out amongst the projects repertoire as one of the more musically aggressive songs. The mesh of electronics and drop tuned guitars make for a wonderful vehicle to Koeda’s hurried vocals on “
Juuzoku Ningen” while climbing octaves lead the choruses on “
The Bravery” effectively, Ryo’s penchant for simple pop hooks is not lost on the listener easily. ZIGAEXPERIENTIA still nurtures a soft side, even if it’s not truly made audible until closer “
Ginirohikousen.” It’s a slow burning ballad, beginning softly with mostly just Koeda and a piano. It then steps up a melodic key into the song’s second movement, building ever so subtly but never throwing itself overboard like you keep expecting it to.
What makes ZIGAEXPERIENTIA sit below its siblings in terms of quality is its over indulgence in itself. The 15 song tracklist is pretty staggering and though it definitely shows what Supercell is capable of achieving, it doesn’t offer itself to an awful amount of full run-throughs. Rather since you kind of know what to expect after the first 6 or so tracks, you find yourself sifting through and taking out the tracks that do what you like best and skipping everything in between. Because let’s face it, by the time “
Kokuhaku” comes on, you kind of get the idea of what kind of tricks it’s going to pull. The driving guitar verses leading into a flamboyantly upbeat chorus from Koeda. What ZIGAEXPERIENTIA also lacks is that definitive human relationship that Supercell and Today is a Beautiful Day found with their audiences. While lyrically it’s pretty consistent, there’s nothing here that hits hard like “The World is Mine” or Perfect Day” or “Yoru ga Akeru yo.”
So while ZIGAEXPERIENTIA isn’t Supercell’s strongest release, not due to any fault of its musical merit, it’s still a good pick-me-up for when you’re down. Koeda’s no Yanagi and she doesn’t have the same bizarre appeal that Hatsune Miku does, but she can do what she can well and Ryo’s compositions support her superbly. An excellent pop album for certain and exactly what people have come to expect from Supercell, ZIGAEXPERIENTIA is actually worth listening to… but only after you’ve finished with the first two and need something to ensure that you don’t over expose yourself to them.
