I know I'm never on time with this kind of thing, but I wish everyone who chances upon this lazy quarter of the internet a happy New Year. I'm certain that this year is going to be quite exciting with many things to look forward to. So don't stop taking it easy just yet.
Amazingly enough it's already been 3 years since the last time that the G5 Project had done anything together, and no doubt many have been eagerly anticipating a new album for a long time. I personally didn't feel like it's really been that long since G5 2010, mostly because Godspeed had put out G.O.D. and Growl in the meantime. It's difficult to describe the feeling I had when I found out that a new G5 album was slated for release at the Winter Comiket, but I wasn't too thrilled about it. Indeed, it was with some skepticism that I bought the album, because the era when crossfades could be trusted had long since gone. Yet at the same time I was aching to hear the evolution of some of my favourite guitarists' music. My life is truly blessed with ambivalence.
Even if I tried my hardest, it would have been difficult not to compare G5 2013 with the previous albums. In my opinion, G5 2013 is like a totally different beast than what the G5 Project had offered so far. It's aspiring, spontaneous and experimental. There was never a dull moment on the album for me, but on the other hand high points were far and few between. A wild beast, ready to surprise the world with its majestic roar, but has yet to break free of the chains that have been binding it for far too long. That's pretty much how I feel about the album. In that sense I guess one could even say that G5 2013 has more in common with G.O.D. than the other G5 releases.
Kick starting the record is Yamato with "Dying to Survive", a hard-hitting opener that proves once again that Yamato really is one of the most inspiring guitarists on the scene right now. Yamato caught my attention a long time ago after he worked with Shade on some Alicesoft music collections, but he seriously blew me away with his articulate and fluid playing on Shade's arrange of "昼戦", which incidentally was one of the only two good things that came out of the Kantai Colletion craze. The clean and crispy guitar playing on "Dying to Survive" is sure to impress those who haven't heard of Yamato before, and please those who are dying to experience what he would bring to the G5 Project as its newest member.
The usual Number 2 Nike follows up very nicely with "Emergency", which is stylistically similar to "Dying to Survive" thanks to its speedy melodic runs and crunchy rhythm backing. As a result, the track sounds rather different from Nike's contributions on previous records. The way I felt about Nike's guitar tone and his compositions were that they typically had a raw and old-school vibe to them. However, Machinery off G5 2010 showcased a Nike with a more refined and modern sound, which might have been partly due to the fact that he was using a borrowed Axe-Fx Ultra from a2c. Now with the cool but invigorating "Emergency", Nike seems to have set on a path that will no doubt lead him to more cutting-edge music in the future.
Kick starting the record is Yamato with "Dying to Survive", a hard-hitting opener that proves once again that Yamato really is one of the most inspiring guitarists on the scene right now. Yamato caught my attention a long time ago after he worked with Shade on some Alicesoft music collections, but he seriously blew me away with his articulate and fluid playing on Shade's arrange of "昼戦", which incidentally was one of the only two good things that came out of the Kantai Colletion craze. The clean and crispy guitar playing on "Dying to Survive" is sure to impress those who haven't heard of Yamato before, and please those who are dying to experience what he would bring to the G5 Project as its newest member.
The usual Number 2 Nike follows up very nicely with "Emergency", which is stylistically similar to "Dying to Survive" thanks to its speedy melodic runs and crunchy rhythm backing. As a result, the track sounds rather different from Nike's contributions on previous records. The way I felt about Nike's guitar tone and his compositions were that they typically had a raw and old-school vibe to them. However, Machinery off G5 2010 showcased a Nike with a more refined and modern sound, which might have been partly due to the fact that he was using a borrowed Axe-Fx Ultra from a2c. Now with the cool but invigorating "Emergency", Nike seems to have set on a path that will no doubt lead him to more cutting-edge music in the future.
Departing from the traditional G5 format, a2c arrives with "Kamuy" before halftime. The free-flowing track, reminiscent of some of his really old works, is nothing like the calm Transient Blue, the impassioned Words, or the uplifting Gratitude. It's not necessarily a bad thing of course, and it's refreshing to hear a piece from a2c that doesn't strictly follow the verse-chorus form. Yet I can't help but feel that there's something missing from "Kamuy". Perhaps it's the raised 7th that never really came, or maybe it's the lack of any really memorable phrase, but "Kamuy" passes me by like a brisk breeze - leaving behind a fleeting gratification without much substance for me to rest upon. Four minutes and nineteen seconds is a pretty long time to get to the point don't you think?
One striking aspect of the album for me was how coherent it felt as a whole. I think this might just be the first time that every piece on the album flowed from one to another almost naturally. One would think that musical evolution is not exactly a concept that's concrete enough to produce something so melodically and thematically consistent, but even with Takajii spicing things up with the funky "Flounder", I didn't feel like I was in fact listening to a compilation album featuring artists with different styles and influences. This was definitely one thing that set G5 2013 apart from the other G5 albums for me. It's really a shame that Takajii doesn't do more instrumentals, because his keen sense of groove and smooth fretwork never fail to bring pleasure to my ears. Although "Flounder" may not be one of his best, it's still fun and enjoyable with leads and breaks that make it sound a bit like the love child of Break Down and Foolish.
Four tracks later Godspeed finally enters the stage with the powerful and somewhat chaotic Virus, which probably won't hit many as hard or fast like "Dying to Survive" or "Emergency", but should nonetheless throw out a few nice punches with its crushing rhythm. I must admit that I'm not the biggest fan when it comes to Godspeed's heavy stuff, because it always seemed to me that his real strength lies in lighter and more progressive music. Tracks like Roar, Squall, Cloudia and Thread Safe are so incredibly tasty, I just can't get enough of them. Interestingly enough, all three heavy tracks on the album have some electronic elements mixed in them. If that's what the musicians figured would be a source for some intriguing music, then I'm all for it. There's no end to the quest of exploring the world of music, and there's always a lot of potential in fusion genres, even if the idea of crossing rock and metal with electronic music itself is hardly new.
No G5 album is complete without a ballad, and this time it's Takajii who goes for a swim in the river of gentle joy. "Fragile Seasons" honestly reminds me a lot of some Japanese pop songs of the last decade. Have a listen to some of Michiya Haruhata's acoustic instrumentals, themselves renditions of songs by his band TUBE, and I'm sure you will know what I'm talking about.
Unfortunately G5 2013 only comes with seven tracks, but I'd be lying if I said Godspeed didn't go all out this time. The last track "Journey", which features a certain award-winning Hollywood composer, is hailed as "the true unification of the guitar and the orchestra" and is supposed to be the real highlight of the album. Well, I warned you guys about Godspeed's obsession with orchestral music, but no one listened. And it's probably a good thing that no one listened, because though he might have been a little overly ambitious with the project, "Journey" is a quite a spectacular piece. At times it sounds like an army preparing for their last battle; at times it sounds like a group of adventurers discovering a new land while flying on the back of a red dragon; at times it sounds like crowds celebrating the triumph of their superheroes; at times it sounds two lovebirds reuniting after many long and difficult struggles; but most of the time it just sounds like a film soundtrack, particularly one that plays during the credits which very few feel inclined to sit through nowadays. "Journey" is magnificent, cinematic, pretentious and self-indulgent all at the same time, what's there not to like? It even ends dubiously with the same melodic line that begins it. Am I being tricked? I think I need to go on a journey to find out.
Disregard conclusions, acquire convolutions.
One striking aspect of the album for me was how coherent it felt as a whole. I think this might just be the first time that every piece on the album flowed from one to another almost naturally. One would think that musical evolution is not exactly a concept that's concrete enough to produce something so melodically and thematically consistent, but even with Takajii spicing things up with the funky "Flounder", I didn't feel like I was in fact listening to a compilation album featuring artists with different styles and influences. This was definitely one thing that set G5 2013 apart from the other G5 albums for me. It's really a shame that Takajii doesn't do more instrumentals, because his keen sense of groove and smooth fretwork never fail to bring pleasure to my ears. Although "Flounder" may not be one of his best, it's still fun and enjoyable with leads and breaks that make it sound a bit like the love child of Break Down and Foolish.
Four tracks later Godspeed finally enters the stage with the powerful and somewhat chaotic Virus, which probably won't hit many as hard or fast like "Dying to Survive" or "Emergency", but should nonetheless throw out a few nice punches with its crushing rhythm. I must admit that I'm not the biggest fan when it comes to Godspeed's heavy stuff, because it always seemed to me that his real strength lies in lighter and more progressive music. Tracks like Roar, Squall, Cloudia and Thread Safe are so incredibly tasty, I just can't get enough of them. Interestingly enough, all three heavy tracks on the album have some electronic elements mixed in them. If that's what the musicians figured would be a source for some intriguing music, then I'm all for it. There's no end to the quest of exploring the world of music, and there's always a lot of potential in fusion genres, even if the idea of crossing rock and metal with electronic music itself is hardly new.
No G5 album is complete without a ballad, and this time it's Takajii who goes for a swim in the river of gentle joy. "Fragile Seasons" honestly reminds me a lot of some Japanese pop songs of the last decade. Have a listen to some of Michiya Haruhata's acoustic instrumentals, themselves renditions of songs by his band TUBE, and I'm sure you will know what I'm talking about.
Unfortunately G5 2013 only comes with seven tracks, but I'd be lying if I said Godspeed didn't go all out this time. The last track "Journey", which features a certain award-winning Hollywood composer, is hailed as "the true unification of the guitar and the orchestra" and is supposed to be the real highlight of the album. Well, I warned you guys about Godspeed's obsession with orchestral music, but no one listened. And it's probably a good thing that no one listened, because though he might have been a little overly ambitious with the project, "Journey" is a quite a spectacular piece. At times it sounds like an army preparing for their last battle; at times it sounds like a group of adventurers discovering a new land while flying on the back of a red dragon; at times it sounds like crowds celebrating the triumph of their superheroes; at times it sounds two lovebirds reuniting after many long and difficult struggles; but most of the time it just sounds like a film soundtrack, particularly one that plays during the credits which very few feel inclined to sit through nowadays. "Journey" is magnificent, cinematic, pretentious and self-indulgent all at the same time, what's there not to like? It even ends dubiously with the same melodic line that begins it. Am I being tricked? I think I need to go on a journey to find out.
Disregard conclusions, acquire convolutions.
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