Farewell

As promised - albeit a little behind schedule - here is my first review. After reading so many 'fanboy' ravings about Mr. Children from me, I decided to give those who at least give this page a glance-over something different. I present to you Van Tomiko (伴都美子), the vocalist from the now defunct J-rock band, Do As Infinity.

I won't delve much into the renowned D.A.I, but after it disbanded peacefully in August 2005, Van decided to go solo. After all, she has been in the music scene since late 1998 and she had grown to love it. And now, in 2006, she gifts to the waiting world her first solo debut, "Farewell".

tracklist
1. farewell
2.morning glory
3. うらら
4.Essence
5.horoscope
6.complacence
7.鵺の鳴くよる
8.HOLY PLANET
9. Before Sunset
10. Hold Me...
11. A Dream is A Wish Your Heart Makes (Bonus Track)

I for one, think that the title of the album is a direct tribute to D.A.I; there are some fondly reminiscent of D.A.I.'s numbers. The album's namesake, "farewell", weaves an eastern tapestry much like its predecessor, 真実の詩 (Shinjitsu no Uta), whereas tracks like "鵺の鳴く夜" (Nue no naku yoru) and "complacence" incorporates the playful and yet developed tunes of D.A.I. Yet, the album has more to offer. Van strides across the crags from Rock into Blues and Jazz, offering us lounge tracks like "Hold Me...."and "horoscope", breaking out the wine and cocktails. Compared to her previous works with D.A.I., this slow and mellow album might rub fans the wrong way round but on the contrary, I find this a delightful deviation from what D.A.I. had to offer. In a single disc, she has defined herself - at least artistically - and has stated that she is different from D.A.I. Indeed, Van is independent now; she is flying solo.

Go ahead, take a sip of what she serve and you just might find it soothing your tastebuds.

And to those of you wondering what is my recent obsession about Mr. Children, here is yet another of my favourites from them - Paddle, a playful number crafted by the genius that is Sakurai.

Cheers and till next time.

::Reading:: Iron Council by China Mieville
::Listening:: 五月天 - 盛夏光年