| | | Ratings (15) |
Give your Rating |
| 4.5 superb | CalculatingInfinity | October 7th 15 |
Kuroki has returned to prove she is the queen of the Japanese charts, refusing to fall into either Major or Single syndrome. If her self titled was the start of the inferno, 'Hyouhon Bako' the transition to a Japanese Rock Star, then 'Jiyu Ritsu' is her fully embracing her role as one. Not wanting to create the same album again she fuses her poppish, bombastic sound with more of an emotional side along with playful songs such as 'You Will Ruin Me'. Kuroki's vocals are still divine, having a sense of maturity and emotional passion which very few can match, presenting soft and delicate tones combined with a often bombastic approach which is endearing to say the least. Her vocals on '107' are especially noteworthy of attention, subduing to a soft and mournful woman being conflicted with loneliness and looking back with a smile from a relationship that wasn't to be. Songwriting and instrumentally the record is top notch, boasting with a wide variety of sounds and tones from the uplifting violin bombast of the opener, blistering drumming at the end of 'Almond' to the relaxed, soft guitar chords and tambourine of the closer. Everything comes together to create so many incredible melodies which will be stuck in your head forever, composition mainly being relatively simple yet so effective at making you smile at every energised note. Despite her previous outing being still a pretty superb album, this is the follow up to her masterpiece s/t truly deserves. Minus ‘Template’ and to a much lesser extent ‘Inochigake...’, every song is a winner. This still may be just behind her s/t, but damn does it come close. Most likely my album of the year, Kuroki has done it yet again: 4.6/5
6 Bumps | Bump |
| 4.5 superb | Jared Floryan | October 9th 15 |
Although she's still flying solo at this point, Kuroki Nagisa proves to be just as good on her own (if not better) as she was when Kenji and Satoshi were a part of the act. Nagisa's second full-length effort, Jiyu Ritsu, has no weak tracks on it, and there's very nearly a timeless appeal to the record. Not counting the self-titled mini-album, this is probably one of the most entertaining modern J-Rock/Pop releases that I've ever encountered in my life (it's up there with Today Is a Beautiful Day by Supercell); yes, that's a bold statement, but you would have to be a little dense in order to miss out on both Jiyu Ritsu and Kuroki Nagisa. All you as the listener will have to do is simple, but no less satisfying: 1) read CalculatingInfinity's sound-off, and 2) it's a safe bet that this offering's first two songs alone might lure you in to an endearing world. More folks may as well make it their mission to check what this lady has in her arsenal.
3 Bumps | Bump |
| 4.5 superb | resident sputbirb with fancy hat | December 12th 16 |
the second track is an atmospheric
masterpiece. Overall this is a continuation
of the greatness that was the s/t mini
album. However it has a little less of that
raw energetic rock flair and slightly more
variety and experimentation.
1 Bumps | Bump |
| 3.5 great | Prole | November 24th 15 |
| |
Give Your Opinion on Jiyu Ritsu
|
