I found this album because I googled "万華鏡地獄", after making a song I wanted to call that, to see if a song with that title already existed. Of course, it existed. This really is a great way to find great music, by the way: google things that would be good song titles. There are so many songs that you'll usually find something!
01. カタリ
02. 妄想ルーム
03. 穴の開いた右腹
04. 万華鏡地獄
05. 近江舞子
06. 散り行く花
07. 秘密の花園
08. オトギサーカス
09. 氷の犬
This is pop, but somehow calling it "pop" almost feels wrong. Of course, there's no inherent negativity to the term "pop", and even the Beatles can be called "pop", so the reason why I'm hesitant to call this "pop" isn't rooted in any negative feelings towards pop music. I like a lot of pop. It's just that this album feels different from most pop, even pop that might have a similar sound (although I'm not sure if "similar sound" is a fair term to use).
It could be said that at times the vocals and occasionally the instrumentation as well might sound a little "off", but if everything was "polished" throughout, the sense of "vulnerability" that's more or less ever-present on this album would be lost. So, it's better that it doesn't sound too "professional". I'm using a lot of quote marks, because this album does actually sound polished and professional, too.
The entire album has an air of melancholy to it, in addition to a sense of nostalgia that borders on anemoia... or something... I'm not sure if the right word exists. It kind of evokes a misty atmosphere of ambivalence. Well, it's hard to describe an abstract feeling, and it's pointless for me to even try, but...
On first listen, I was immediately struck by 穴の開いた右腹. Although most of the songs work best in the context of the album, and also on their own, this one stands out to me as probably the best individual song. It's not the most beautiful, or necessarily the most "interesting"-sounding, but in a way it sounds like a representation of the entire album condensed into one song.
万華鏡地獄 may be the catchiest song, to the point of being an earworm. For some reason I've woken up with it stuck in my head at least twice. It's the most energetic song on the album, too, being fairly guitar-driven. It could also be the best song, but I'm not sure.
I'll have to mention that the first time I heard オトギサーカス, I laughed. It's such a bouncy and fast song that comes out of nowhere. There's even banjo throughout!
Overall, this album is really good. Most of the songs aren't very memorable on their own (the above three being exceptions), but the album as a whole is an interesting experience. It's nice to listen to over and over again, although at least to me the two faster songs sound like they're placed somewhat "randomly". They definitely fit the album, but the flow is broken up by them. Well, that's not a bad thing; without them, the album might get a little "tiring", though not boring by any means.
Enjoyability: 9/10
Relistenability: 9/10
Memorability: 7/10
Coherence: 7/10
Flow: 7/10
Originality: 7/10
Epicness: 5/10
Nutshell: The ride never ends!
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