Buddhistson is a 5 piece Japanese Indie band, with a touch of emo in some of their songs. I was first able to see them live at a local show in Hong Kong, and have fell in love with their music ever since. This CD clocks in at just over 40 minutes, but every song (except the filler track 7) are at least 4 minutes long.
The album starts with the track "Night in April." I think this is a great way to start off the album. You can get a feel of what the rest of the album is going to be like; simple but melodic guitars, a firm support from the bass, keyboard filling in the background, solid drumming and the whiny vocals + backing vocals from their female member. I think this is the biggest downside of the band; quite a few people won't be able to stand the nasal vocals. In my opinion though, I think their vocals fit in rather well with the music.
"The Dayswar" has a slightly more prominent piano part, playing riffs instead of chords through out the song. The next song, "Gray Snow", starts off with acoustic guitars playing, for about a minute and a half. The vocals are definately less nasal at the beginning, and about 3:40 into the song, jingle bells can be heard! (The instrument, not the song). The whole track feels very a winter-y, due to the beautiful keyboard playing and jingle bells.
The next track, "Secret Coast" might be slightly shocking the first time: the riffs are definately louder than the first three tracks. My least favourite song on the CD, as the song seems to lack that Buddhistson feel. This is also the shortest song on the CD (not including the filler track), clocking in at 4:09. The next track, "So Like Wind" sounds quite similar to "The Dayswar" in terms of style and riffs. "Present I Can Not See It" has a very punk rock like feel to it, and it's the only song the CD to make use of the traditional 4/4 timing through out. In that sense, it's slightly different from the rest of the CD as it has less intricate guitar patterns and sounding almost like J-rock at some bits.
"Untitled" serves as an introduction to the next song "This Air", with a simple organ chords and guitar playing. "This Air" starts with the vocals coming in straighter over the instruments from "Untitled". The song features a few time signature changes, but stays mostly in 4/4. Another great song by Buddhistson, clocking in at 8:16, making it the longest song in the album.
This album is not for everyone; the songs are quite simplistic in their structure (except maybe "This Air") and features very whiny vocals. If you can look past that though, I think that Buddhistson has made some of the most beautiful songs that any band has made in a while.
Rating:
4/5
