 | Album Title: PIRAMIRiSTAR / Emi Hirayama |
| Record Label: Sweep Record | |
| Catalog No.: SRIN-1170 | |
| Release Date: July 31, 2020 | |
| Purchase: Buy at Sweep Record |
Overview
PIRAMIRiSTAR is the second release by vocalist Emi Hirayama and features music composed by Hajime Mobiki, Ken Ito, Shunsuke Matsui, and Takahiro Eguchi. It features four songs and their karaoke counterparts. How is the overall album?
Body
The album opens with Hajime Mobiki’s “Star Sapphire.” It’s a synthy pop tune combining strings, piano, drum pad, and synth into an upbeat and bubbly sound with a catchy melody. “Star Trail,” by Ken Ito, is a beautiful pop ballad with a lovely piano and strings backing. The melody itself is particularly memorable and is a highlight of the release. Shunsuke Matsui’s arrangement of “Dead or Just the Two of Us♪ – Dolce Accordo” is a saccharine pop rock tune with a catchy melody; the original can be found on PIRAMIRiSE. The tune itself has a catchy melody with plenty of electric guitar and plucked strings. The vocal performance borders more on cutesy compared to the other tunes but fits the overall vibe of the tune. Lastly, “Working to the Future – Reprogram,” by Takahiro Eguchi, is a pop tune with a rock-and-synth focus, featuring uplifting vocals and a determined sound. The vocals themselves are very powerful and complement the synth quite nicely. It has a very typical Eguchi-style sound, especially during the synth-rock instrumental sections and with the synthy ethereal backing during the song’s verses. Each of these songs also comes with vocal-less karaoke versions with just the accompaniment to the sung melody.
Summary
Fans of Emi Hirayama’s first release, PIRAMIRiSE, will certainly enjoy this single release. Although not as long, it still offers a diverse subset of styles and vocal performances and is worth picking up for fans of the first album.
