Utakata no Hana / Amaryllis
Album Title: Utakata no Hana / Amaryllis |
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Record Label: Sweep Record |
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Catalog No.: SRIN-1174 |
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Release Date: June 26, 2020 |
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Purchase: Buy at Sweep Record |
Overview
Utakata no Hana / Amaryllis is the first single by the group Amaryllis, comprised of the singers Ruruka Yuki, Shino Nekozaki, Hina Hoshinomiya, and Ame Satsuki. Featuring three vocals composed by Takahiro Eguchi, of Supersweep, and Tsukasa, it showcases a small variety of styles within its short playtime. How is their first single overall?
Body
The album opens up with Takahiro Eguchi’s compositional contribution, “Ultramarine Synthesis,” a catchy pop tune blending synths, varying tempos, electronica, and an extremely catchy melody. The melody itself is quite strong and works well with the vocal performance of the singers. I also particularly enjoy the softer aspects of the tune. The other two songs on the album are both composed by Tsukasa. The first, “Be Myself ~Forgive My Selfishness~,” is a synth rock/pop tune with a very game-like sound. As with the first song, the vocalists throughout the song change, giving it some musical texture and the melody itself is also quite catchy, particularly during the chorus of the song. It has a very motivating sound at times, a fun electric guitar solo, and has a bit of a Touhou influence to it melodically at times. The final song, “Amaryllis in the Moonlight” is more Japanese in soundscape. It blends rock and traditional Japanese instrumentation and like the other tunes on the release features a catchy melody. It is a bit derivative but overall enjoyable.
Summary
For a first single, Amaryllis’ Utakata no Hana is a pretty strong showing with three different musical showcases. However, it may have limited appeal outside of Japan or for those who are only interested in purchasing game music. Fans of Takahiro Eguchi and Tsukasa will certainly find something to enjoy on the release.
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3.5
Posted on January 20, 2021 by Don Kotowski. Last modified on January 20, 2021.