Released: 22.06.17 / Label: felicity / P-VINE
Spangle call Lilli line is a name I recognize but this will be the first time I’ve actually had the chance to listen to their music. First impressions on the cover: I’m not sure what I’m looking at. Maybe some weird kind of architecture or art piece with a lot of blue. Let’s do a little research and figure out who this band really is.
This three piece band has been around since 1998, giving them an impressive 24 years on the scene. They started in Shimokitazawa, which is an area of Tokyo with a really active indie rock music scene, and they’ve got a huge discography. I’m not sure how I haven’t heard them before, but here we are. Let’s hear what they have to offer in this latest single.
A much lighter and groove oriented song than I was expecting. The vocalist, Kana, has a beautiful voice and it carries the song to a large degree. Which isn’t good when the intro is 30 seconds long. To be fair the composition is really nice, the mix just feels low energy and not up to the level I’d expect from a band that’s been around for so long. I did some digging and found out that the mixing engineer was Zin Yoshida of rock band Salon Music. Certainly a musician with a lot of experience, but I feel like they missed the mark a bit here.
The band plays really well overall, a very early 2000s sound to the song aside from the drums. The drums in the pre-chorus do a really cool groove that is definitely the most modern thing here. It kind of works, but the instruments don’t seems to know how to fit in. It’s a little awkward.
As for the lyrics, they’re ok. It’s very much a mood poem that doesn’t really have any solid story. But it’s very beautifully written in a meandering way. I guess that explains the album cover as well. As for if they stuck the landing? Let’s head to the verdict.
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