[Jrock] Kiyoharu- Vinny beach ~Kaikuu no Kaigan~

Vinny beach is Kiyoharu's 4th album released on  2006.07.12. The title translates to "the Imaginary Seashore". It is my first and probably favourite 清春 album; packed with a variety of styles tied together by certain themes, and lots of emotion. There is only one song on this album I don't really like, and that's saying something.

The album opens with the slow, melancholic instrumental 「架空の海」(The imaginary seashore) It's very relaxing, making you think of a distant beach. The synth and careful guitar work, plus some steady drums come together perfectly in an almost hypnotizing rhythm- like waves coming in and out over the sand.

Following this short instrumental comes "Dance". Dance is total contrast to「架空の海」being quite upbeat and catchy. The bass guitar part is so cool, the first thing you hear before the rest of the rock instrumentation comes in and remaining prominent throughout. Kiyoharu's voice sounds amazing as always- soft and gentle in the verses before becoming loud and passionate for the chorus etc (his voice changes all the time, for great effect. Kiyoharu dominates the song, even as the instrumentation is also pretty awesome in itself). The song is funky and passionate but still remains as relaxing as the first song- good for chilling out to, I would say.

After dance comes "bye bye"- another upbeat song opening with some heavy distortion before the rest of the instrumentation comes in and the song becomes smooth and calming. It starts very gritty but becomes really funky and also quite upbeat with a bit of dark edge to it.  Each instrument has its moment to shine, yet throughout the song you can still hear each distinct part: and it comes together without any dissonance. The song becomes very busy, and heavy especially towards the end just before it abruptly ends. The rhythm of bye bye is very infectious- repetitive enough to be catchy, but not to the point where it is boring. I love the subtle changes. This song is very smooth, including Kiyoharu’s fantastic vocals. I like how muffled his voice sounds though. This song never lingers- even Kiyoharu doesn’t hold the “bye bye” too long as you may expect, which creates the mood of a quick parting, without any remorse- but it’s beautiful.

Moving on to Emerald which is also nicely done, just as you would expect. Again there are beautiful rhythms and instrumentation, and gorgeous vocals, notably rougher than in the previous song. Emerald as a whole is louder, and rougher than the previous tracks.

Track 5 "slow” was my first Kiyoharu song introduced from Perfect girl Evolution- and one of my favourite songs of all times. This song is a brilliant composition. It’s actually hard to express how much I love it. “slow” is a wonderful acoustic ballad that is romantic as it is bittersweet and filled with an…almost a sadness, not quite longing or desperateness but there is that edge to it. Of losing something, accepting it, but still longing for it. Kiyoharu sounds so incredibly emotional, and the instrumentation is...amazing. I love how it opens so simply, and then it builds up to become stronger, louder. This song is almost comforting with the precious feelings it depicts so perfectly through Kiyoharu’s gentle, but passionate, vocals and the amazing instrumentation. Love the lyrics too (which I was lucky enough to find a translation for):

“Ah, on the nights that I think of you, in a sweetly smelling breeze, There isn't a disappearing reason, traces of you save me, Ah, if I come to myself tomorrow, have the words lost meaning? If the mistakes that added up spoke to me, Ah, our shared dreams from those days are now in the distant wind, But your future and happiness will go on forever,
Ah, if you can sing to me, I'll go towards your image that reaches me just a little, A comforting kindness will pass through my heart.”

Moving onwards… After the extraordinary “slow” is another epic track, "cold rain". This was first a SADS song that was not released but performed live, that has been remade as this song. I have not seen that performance (unfortunately), so I cannot compare- however this version is amazing.  From the moment this song begins, you know it's going to be a pretty powerful song. Starting loud and in your face it tones down steadily to be quiet, smoother, yet filled with a desolate, heavy feeling. It is a very emotional rock song. Kiyoharu’s vocals are raw here- powerful and laced with emotion. He’s almost shouting at times, but without losing the quality or emotion of his voice. I love the “lalala” part and the echo is a great effect, too. Just as it began it ends with a steady drumming, before the last synth fades away. This song is pretty epic. “cold rain” is a powerful song that throws raw emotion at you in a beautiful way. (haha)

Following these powerful tracks is club[Hell]- the album does a 360 from the other tracks for this gritty, and almost sensuous track. It’s back to the playful (this track feels quite playful in a more rebellious way), funky and upbeat rhythms of earlier tracks combined with muffled but passionate vocals from Kiyoharu . I didn’t like this track when I first heard it, and it still doesn’t stand out to me but it’s pretty good.  

The synth from club[Hell] flows easily into the next track「星座の夜」(night of stars) which is also upbeat and lively, very cool and funky. It sounds a lot like club[hell] in it’s playful nature but there is something different in the feel of this song, it’s not quite so dark and is more hopeful. This song feels light, melodic and happy. Kiyoharu’s vocals are smoother, gentler, here too and aren’t muffled like before. I adore his sensual adlibbing towards the end. There is something about this song I enjoy more than club[Hell] even it still doesn’t stand out to me.

Then it is "Travel". The pace is steady, and the heavy bass make it like the song really does sound like you are travelling. It's a laid back, relaxing type of travel though. There is no rush to get anywhere at all, just enjoy the ride (and the guitar often gives a feeling of excitement overlying the steady bass line, the constant travel compared to say the feelings of the person themselves). At the end the song builds up becoming faster, everything speeding up. Throughout the song you can hear how Kiyoharu's voice is much deeper at times, and I just love his adlibbing. This song has a brilliant feeling to it, and it’s easy to get lost within it.

Track 10 "Mizuumi" is a lot slower, but continues the trend of smooth songs to get lost within. The gentle, twinkling instrumentation is just lovely. Once again, Kiyoharu's voice adepts and becomes slow and smooth- oozing emotion.

"And I can't feel nothing" is yet another incredible track. Kiyoharu manages to sing like he's bored/numb, but still make the song sound interesting. The repetition of sounds/words is really clever. The "I knows" also really stick in your mind. Some gorgeous guitar work here, too (although this entire album has some amazing instrumentation, as well as outstanding vocals, throughout). This song is soft and quiet but not lacking in a very subtle emotion and power that makes it compelling to listen to. I really love this song so much.

The next track 「この孤独な景色を与えたまえ」(Please Give Me This Lonely View) is very slow and relaxing. During the verses it sounds like it is holding back, which only makes the build up to the chorus even more powerful. Kiyoharu’s vocals are rich and filled with emotion. This whole song is filled with longing and a sort of sadness....but something more complex than just pure sadness. Complex, human emotion. Overall it is a calming (soothing…) song, and comforting in the same way as “slow”.  And much like the instrumental track at the beginning, this song has a synth and instrumentation that makes it feel all watery, not quite the ebb and flow of waves but you could imagine that lonely shore once more.

Lastly is 「君の事が」(about you) which follows the same style as the previous track, but is much more hopeful. The acceptance of sad feelings and of moving away from them- although on saying that this song is hopeful and uplifting, there is of course that edge of loneliness and sadness to it. But it is the perfect ending to this album. There is so much emotion in this song, and as you’d expect the composition of this song itself is incredible as well as Kiyoharu’s vocals. He also uses his lovely vibrato here (Kiyoharu has the sort of vibrato that sometimes, quite literally sends a shiver through me). This is the perfect ending to a perfect album.

Overall rating: 29485897435/10 (Awesomeness)
Favourite tracks: Pretty much everything ^^
 
Everything just sounds really right in this album. It's just brilliance. Sheer brilliance. so emotional, relaxing, beautiful sung and composed. Amazing PVs, gorgeous CD art. A brilliant masterpiece. Awesome-ness.