Review Summary: Expect the unexpected
Kashiwa Daisuke’s brilliance seems to be matched only by his indifference to his own audience, being apparently impervious to creating a piece of work that could be accused of vain crowd pleasing. Granted, the sugary nature of his music makes it unlikely to offend even the most casual of listeners, but one can’t help feel that Daisuke makes music to please Daisuke, and that his reverence among listeners is just a natural consequence of his ability to captivate.
9 Songs is of the same ilk as his previous work in terms of aesthetics, and just like his previous work, it also makes numerous stylistic deviations that are sure to puzzle you in the most delightful way imaginable. As the album travels across one of Daisuke’s signature narrative arcs, any initial misgivings are washed away in a tide of saccharine bliss.
As the delicate piano melodies of the brief opener fade and give way to the first proper song “Lilac”, you could be fooled into believing you aren’t listening to Daisuke at all. Upbeat synth lines and guitar chords have replaced the emotive keys that had become something of a trademark for him, while simplistic drum patterns form the rhythmic backbone as opposed to the energetic, breakbeat percussion of albums like
April.#07 and
5 Dec.. The vocal presence of Naoko Sasaki – otherwise known as Piana – gives the already jovial songs a much needed human element, an identity rather unlike anything Daisuke has attempted before. Of course, he is no stranger to using female vocals to accentuate mood or atmosphere in his compositions, but allowing his own instrumentation to play a supplementary role was rather unexpected.
Enjoyable as these poppy numbers may be, whether or not they could have carried the album in its entirety we will never know, as Daisuke decided a change of pace was in order at the halfway point. Album centrepiece “Skyliner” represents a pivotal tone shift, reverting back to Daisuke’s more familiar brand of subtle piano work laced with strings, glitches, samples of running water, as well as cut-and-paste percussion. Piana’s vocal performance becomes more subdued from this point onward, but nonetheless provides a myriad of hooks and helps the album maintain a cohesive edge throughout. As one tune succeeds another, the album’s overall tenor becomes increasingly pensive, placing a greater emphasis on lush crescendo effects and poignant melodies. With the penultimate track “Where Am I Going” leading into the soothing finale, the album comes full circle, expanding on the very same piano motif that introduced the
9 Songs at the beginning.
At this point, it would be daft to expect Daisuke’s releases to follow any discernible trend or pattern, but no matter the challenge he sets for himself, the results are invariably enchanting. Contrary to what the simplistic title may suggest,
9 Songs is best enjoyed as whole body of work, so as the thematic variation between each song is appreciated to its fullest. The inclusion of permanent voice may initially throw some people off, but to dismiss anything by Daisuke based on a mere first impression is to misunderstand the kind of artist he is.
