One of the songs I'm currently listening to. The song and the music video feel more like a something from a musical. I quite like it. It makes me wish to be able to understand Japanese.
Tomoyasu Hotei's long-awaited latest work "GUITARHYTHM โ
ฆ".
In the 35 years since his solo debut "GUITARHYTHM" after the breakup of BOรWY, this is the seventh installment in the popular series that has impacted the scene by opening up an overwhelming world view.
Set in the year 2023, the first year of AI, the sound concept of this album is "Retro Future," reminiscent of 90s modern music, with a message of hope and warning for the future, and Hotei's guitar sings sharply and elongated throughout the entire album. The album has been highly acclaimed by many artists who should be called "guitarism children," and has been called the best work in the history of guitarism.
The music video for "Andromeda (feat. Aina the End)," which was released earlier in the year, has been a huge hit with fans on both sides.
The film, directed by the brilliant Atsunori Higashiichi, depicts the sad and strange story of a scientist (played by Hotei) and an android (played by Aina the End) who entrust their dreams for the future to an android in a spectacular science fiction rock opera. Aina the End's stunning performance and presence, along with Hotei's silhouette, are stylishly and densely presented in this music video, which is sure to be talked about as a masterpiece that will remain in the history of music videos.
GUITARHYTHM โ
ฆ" is an ambitious work that should be enjoyed by people of all ages, and can be called the culmination of Hotei's constant challenge to new styles as a guitarist.
You're right and that's why I love them. You can feel that they have fun when you go to a concert. And when they have fun, the crowd has fun too! It is quite more enjoyable when you are standing in the crowd knowing that the band members have as much fun as you.
SCANDAL are making songs that they like and not songs that may sell well. Also, they are exprimenting quite a bit. "Ai no shotai" from the latest album "Mirror" comes to mind. In that song they added a gospel choir which is something that I do not listen to every day. It is my favorite song from the album.
Plus the fact that they have a wide vararity of styles. Every album feels fresh. This surely comes with the downside that one may not like every single song. There may be songs that are more your cup of tea and songs that you do not like very much. But that's OK. Just listen to the songs that you like. (Honestly, there are SCANDAL songs that I can't seem to warm up to, no matter how hard I try. And one of them is a popular SCANDAL song. But eh, they have an impressive discography. There are so many songs that I like.)
Sorry for raving about my favorite band. ๐
What SCANDAL songs do you like so far?